Commercial, regulatory and sanctions counsel for French operations
We keep cross-border commercial operations on the right side of French and EU rules: distribution and agency agreements, the brutal-termination regime, export controls and dual-use licensing, sanctions screening and the compliance duties that attach to operating in France. The practice is preventive by design — contracts and processes built so the dispute never has to happen.
When this practice applies
Engage this practice when building or unwinding a French distribution network, when products or software touch dual-use classifications, when a counterparty or destination raises sanctions questions, and when French regulators ask for answers.
It pairs naturally with the disputes practice when prevention was not enough.
Our approach
- Map the perimeter: which French and EU regimes actually apply to the operation
- Contract: distribution, agency and supply terms that survive French case law
- Screen: sanctions and export-control checks proportionate to the actual risk
- License: dual-use and other authorisations, filed and followed through
- Respond: regulator queries, audits and incident handling with privilege in mind
Scenarios we handle
Distribution & agency
Network design, termination planning, the agent's end-of-contract indemnity.
Export controls
Dual-use classification, licensing and internal compliance programmes.
Sanctions
Screening obligations, contractual clauses and exposure reviews.
Regulatory
Sector rules, consumer-facing terms and dealings with French authorities.
The team on this
Selected matters
- Redesigning the French and EU distribution architecture of a foreign consumer brand ahead of a network reduction.
- Advising an industrial exporter on dual-use classification and the licensing path for a new product line.
- Building the sanctions-screening procedure of a French subsidiary within a multinational group.
Fees
Compliance reviews and contract architecture are fixed-fee per deliverable; ongoing support runs as a defined-scope retainer. The basis is agreed in writing before work begins; figures are a first-call conversation.
FAQ
Which French rules govern our distribution arrangements?
Three layers matter. EU competition law frames exclusivity, selective distribution and pricing practices. The French Code de commerce adds its own restrictive-practices regime — significant imbalance, brutal termination under article L.442-1 — which applies broadly and is policed both by counterparties and by the administration. And the commercial agent regime carries a statutory end-of-contract indemnity that surprises foreign principals. Contracts drafted only against the home jurisdiction's instincts tend to fail exactly there.
When do export controls apply to French operations?
Whenever goods, software or technology touch the EU dual-use list or national controls — and the trigger is often the technology transfer, not the physical shipment. Licensing runs through the French administration for dual-use items, with EU general authorisations available for defined flows. The practical work is classification: most compliance failures start with a product never having been assessed at all rather than with a refused licence.
What sanctions screening is expected of a French business?
EU regulations apply directly: assets freezes, sectoral prohibitions and the prohibition on making funds available to listed persons. What is expected is a process proportionate to the company's exposure — counterparty and ownership screening, destination checks, contractual sanctions clauses and an escalation route when a hit appears. French enforcement has hardened, and banks apply their own filters earlier than regulators do; a documented procedure is what keeps payments moving.
General information, current as of 18 June 2026. Not legal advice. Subject to applicable law.