Disputes and international arbitration counsel in Paris
We represent foreign and French businesses in commercial litigation before the French courts and in international arbitration — ICC and ad hoc, with Paris as the most frequent seat. The practice covers post-M&A and shareholder disputes, contract and distribution claims, interim and protective measures, and the enforcement of judgments and awards in France. We tell you early whether a claim is worth running; we would rather decline a file than pursue one we do not believe in.
When this practice applies
Engage this practice when a French counterparty stops performing, when a closing turns into a warranty claim, when a shareholder relationship deadlocks, or when a judgment or award needs teeth in France.
The earlier the call, the more options remain open: protective attachments, evidence measures under article 145 CPC and jurisdictional positioning are most effective before proceedings crystallise.
Our approach
- Merits and forum read: claim strength, where it will be heard, what it will realistically cost
- Evidence: securing documents and testimony while they are still available
- Interim relief: saisie conservatoire, judicial mortgages, escrow — where assets justify it
- Proceedings: litigation before the tribunaux de commerce or arbitration under the agreed rules
- Enforcement: exequatur, asset tracing and execution measures in France and across the EU
Scenarios we handle
Post-M&A disputes
Warranty and price claims, earn-out disagreements, expert determinations.
Commercial litigation
Contract, distribution and liability claims before the French commercial courts.
International arbitration
ICC and ad hoc proceedings, emergency arbitrators, award challenges.
Enforcement
Exequatur of judgments and awards, attachments and execution in France.
The team on this
Selected matters
- Acting for an Asian manufacturer in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris arising from a terminated distribution arrangement.
- Representing a European seller in post-closing warranty proceedings, including parallel expert determination on completion accounts.
- Securing protective attachments in France for a foreign claimant pending foreign proceedings on the merits.
Fees
Disputes run on a budgeted phase-by-phase basis — assessment, proceedings, enforcement — agreed in writing before each phase opens. Where the case profile allows it, we discuss partial success-related structures within the limits set by French professional rules. Amounts are discussed at the first call.
FAQ
Can a foreign judgment or award be enforced in France?
Generally yes, through defined channels. EU judgments circulate under Brussels I bis with minimal formality. Non-EU judgments need exequatur, where French courts check jurisdiction, due process and public policy rather than re-trying the merits. Arbitral awards benefit from the New York Convention and a famously arbitration-friendly French regime. The practical work is usually less about the principle and more about finding assets and choosing the right execution measures.
Litigation or arbitration for our French contracts?
Arbitration earns its cost when confidentiality, a neutral forum, enforceability across borders or technical subject-matter justify it — typically in contracts above a meaningful value threshold. French commercial courts are competent and comparatively fast for straightforward claims, and interim measures remain available either way. The honest answer depends on the counterparty, the amounts and where enforcement would happen; we set that out in writing before you choose a clause.
What interim measures can French courts grant?
The toolkit is real: saisie conservatoire freezing bank accounts and receivables, judicial mortgages over real estate, escrow and sequestration orders, and evidence measures under article 145 CPC before any trial on the merits. Most are available ex parte where surprise matters, on a showing of a claim appearing founded in principle and circumstances threatening recovery. Speed is the point: days, not months, when the file is ready.
General information, current as of 18 June 2026. Not legal advice. Subject to applicable law.