The expertise we offer
Tailor-made Franco-Italian support
SophiaLex provides companies with advisory and litigation services on their key business law issues, with a particularly well-developed Franco-Italian practice.
Our clients benefit from bespoke support, perfectly tailored to their structure, their native language – Italian, French or English – and their legal environment. Each case is handled taking into account its legal, financial and operational implications, as well as the specific constraints of the business.
In particular, we can assist you in the following situations :
Choosing your legal structure or adapting it
- Setting up a branch or subsidiary ;
- Changing your company’s legal form ;
- Managing mergers and demergers ;
- Organising your company’s governance.
Acquiring a business in Italy or France
- Carrying out the necessary due diligence ;
- Supporting you during negotiations ;
- Drafting the relevant documents ;
- Handling the necessary formalities.
Drafting and adapting your commercial contracts
- Negotiating and drafting your commercial contracts: provision of goods, service agreements, commercial agent agreements, distribution agreements, etc. ;
- Prepare and adapt the legal documents required for your business: general terms and conditions, specific terms and conditions, etc. ;
- Negotiate and draft commercial leases for your business premises.
Handle your employment and social security law matters
- Draft and amend your employment contracts, taking into account the specific features and requirements of your business ;
- Organise elections for staff representatives and manage collective relations (meetings, notices of meetings, notices, consultations, etc.) ;
- Draft your internal regulations, taking into account the nature of your business ;
- Draft the necessary policies (remote working, IT, etc.) ;
- Arrange for the delegation of powers, enabling you to entrust certain tasks to your staff ;
- Manage labour tribunal disputes relating to the performance, non-performance or termination of employment contracts, with a particular focus on the amicable resolution of disputes before the labour tribunal or through a settlement.
Recover your outstanding debts with tact and firmness
- Issue the necessary formal notices ;
- Monitor the financial situation of companies identified as debtors ;
- Organise the recovery of the debt before the competent courts (orders to pay, simplified proceedings, interim relief, summonses to pay) ;
- Represent you in the context of your debtors’ insolvency proceedings (filing of claims, appointment as a supervisor, monitoring of the proceedings, etc.).
Supporting you in the management of your disputes
- Negotiate amicable resolutions to disputes (conciliation, mediation, settlement, etc.) ;
- Representing you before French and European civil, commercial and employment courts in litigation proceedings (disputes with business partners, termination of commercial relationships, infringement, unfair competition, etc.).
Legal Assistance in French and EU Economic Law
SophiaLex advises and represents companies in both advisory and litigation matters involving French and European competition and consumer protection law.
In particular, we can assist you in the following situations :
Monitoring developments in French and European legislation and regulations affecting your business
- Monitoring changes in French and European legislation and regulations, and anticipating their practical implications to help you maintain and develop your business operations, production activities and services.
Legal advice and representation in competition and consumer protection matters
- Providing legal advice to anticipate and prevent potential legal issues, and representing you in proceedings before the competent regulatory authorities or courts ;
- Filing complaints concerning infringements of competition law with the European Commission or the relevant national competition authorities ;
- Seeking damages for harm suffered as a result of anticompetitive practices by other companies ;
- Representing and defending you as a defendant in any such proceedings.
For our clients’ operations in Italy, SophiaLex liaises and coordinates with its Italian correspondents – attorneys, chartered accountants, auditors and other professionals – in order to offer its clients ‘seamless’ support.