BUSINESS LAW · ADVISORY & LITIGATION

English-Speaking Business Lawyers in Lyon

Law that rises to your ambitions.

We act for business owners and SMEs throughout the life of their company — advising, negotiating and litigating, in Lyon and across France.

Your first consultation, refunded*
+33 9 83 68 80 80 (standard rate)
* The first consultation costs a flat €69 excl. VAT (€82.80 incl. VAT). If you then entrust your case to MUSE, it is automatically credited against your first invoice. For a one-off consultation, you receive clear oral advice and/or a written summary, depending on how we meet.
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The collective in business law

A collective of independent business lawyers in Lyon

We are a collective of independent lawyers, skilled across many fields and united around a fully independent online platform. You get the expertise you are looking for, real-time follow-up of your case, and direct contact with your lawyer — no intermediaries.

Independence Expertise Confidentiality
66,000+
business failures in France in 2024 — an all-time record
1 in 4
failures linked to unpaid invoices and late payments
€10,000
threshold above which counsel is mandatory before the French commercial court
What we handle

Business life, from advisory to litigation

Commercial disputes

Out of court or before the judge, we steer your disputes to resolution — corporate matters included.

Commercial leases

Every commercial lease rewards a trained eye, from drafting to expiry — above all when it ends in unpaid rent, notice or assignment.

Banking law

From account agreements to bills of exchange, loans and guarantees to payment fraud: full-circle expertise.

Unfair competition & free-riding

Facing parasitic practices — or an orchestrated campaign by a competitor? Start by securing the evidence.

Professional liability

Facing a liability claim? Defend your interests and bring your insurer into the case.

Buying & selling a business

From audit to completion, we secure the purchase or sale of your business — the French fonds de commerce.

Shareholder disputes

Relationships mend best with a trusted third party involved — restoring dialogue and protecting the company.

Decisions we've obtained

Proof in the rulings: see the decisions obtained by the collective in commercial cases — unfair poaching, IT services, debt recovery.

Interim relief, trials & amicable routes

Commercial disputes

We appear before the civil and commercial courts of the Lyon region — and throughout France — to resolve your disputes.

Served with a writ of summons or a payment order? Send us the deed served by the bailiff (Commissaire de Justice) without delay, so we can take over the proceedings.

Interim proceedings (référé), trials on the merits, and amicable dispute resolution (mediation, settlement): litigation is our daily work.*

* Since 1 January 2020, representation by a lawyer is mandatory before the French commercial court for any dispute above €10,000.00.

The collective's advice

A writ carries a hearing date and starts your clocks ticking. Never leave it unanswered — send it to your lawyer the same day.

From signature to expiry

Commercial leases

We analyse your business and its premises to draft, together, a tailor-made lease. And when rent goes unpaid, we run the recovery — and, where necessary, eviction — procedure from start to finish.

Gathering the evidence, building the file, service of process, filing before the court, hearings and enforcement: we handle every step for you.

Recovery, step by step
01Formal demand to pay
02File preparation & service
03Court filing & hearing
04Enforcement & eviction

On notice to quit or renewal, our network of experts helps you assess the eviction indemnity or the market rent. And when the time comes, the collective works as one to guide the assignment of your lease.

Secure the evidence, move fast

Unfair competition & free-riding

A competitor — established or newly arrived — is undermining your business or your name? We examine every element of potential free-riding or unfair competition — poaching clients or staff, disparagement, confusion — and build an action plan to protect your interests. Securing the evidence, through a bailiff's report or an ex parte application (Article 145 of the Code of Civil Procedure), is often the first stone.

The collective's advice

Never tip off your competitor before the evidence is frozen: a bailiff's report or an Article 145 application first, the offensive second.

Best efforts or strict obligations

Professional liability

Tradespeople and professionals are bound sometimes by a duty of best efforts, sometimes by an obligation of result. Depending on how far your obligations reach, your liability may be engaged.

Consult us before a dispute arises, or to resolve one already under way. If you are sued, we assess the case with you, defend your interests throughout the trial and, where appropriate, bring your professional liability insurer into the proceedings.

Buy, sell, secure

Buying & selling a business

Entering business life — or leaving it — often starts with buying or selling a business as a going concern: the French fonds de commerce.

These deals are technical. The transfer follows a strictly regulated path — negotiation, preliminary checks (accounts, surveys, pre-emption rights), transfer of the lease and licences, publications, tax registration and filing with the commercial court registry, escrow of the price, and more. The collective's lawyers work hand in hand to deliver a one-stop solution, from audit to signing.

Protect the company, break the deadlock

Shareholder disputes

Some partnerships last; others sour. A conflict between shareholders often paralyses the company and calls for a trusted third party to safeguard it — the court appointment of a special agent (mandataire ad hoc) or a provisional administrator — and, sometimes, its transfer or reorganisation.

We step in as soon as the dispute emerges, to protect the company's interests. Through our network of experts, you can also obtain a valuation of your shares before considering their sale.

Frequently asked questions

Your business law questions

I've been served with a summons before the French commercial court — what should I do?
React immediately: the writ states a hearing date and starts the clock for appointing counsel before that hearing. Send the deed to your lawyer without delay, together with your documents, to build your defence — and, if the dispute exceeds €10,000.00, to be represented, as representation is then mandatory. Never let the date pass without reacting: judgment can be entered in your absence.
Is a lawyer mandatory before the French commercial court?
Since 1 January 2020, yes — for any dispute above €10,000.00, including, in the pilot districts, before the new economic activities court that replaces it. Below that threshold representation is optional, but counsel remains strongly advised: commercial procedure and evidence follow technical rules of their own.
How do I prove unfair competition or free-riding?
Evidence is the keystone. Before any action, freeze the facts: a bailiff's report, time-stamped screenshots, statements from diverted clients, accounting records showing the loss. Where the evidence sits with your opponent, an application under Article 145 of the Code of Civil Procedure can secure an investigative measure (seizure, expert review) — by surprise, before any trial.
What is "sudden termination of an established business relationship"?
Article L. 442-1, II of the Commercial Code sanctions a party who ends an established business relationship without sufficient written notice. The absence of a written contract is irrelevant: what counts is the stability and length of the business flow. The victim can recover the loss suffered over the notice period that should have been honoured — often measured on lost gross margin.
Can my commercial lease be terminated for unpaid rent?
Yes — most often through the termination clause in the lease. The landlord must first serve a formal demand to pay referring to the clause; failing payment within one month, termination can be recorded, in principle by the interim relief judge. The tenant has counters, notably a request for payment terms combined with suspension of the clause: every deadline and every line of the deed deserves scrutiny.
What is the eviction indemnity under a French commercial lease?
It is the compensation owed to the business tenant when the landlord refuses to renew the lease, to make good the loss of the business or of its value. Depending on the case, it covers the value of the business, relocation and redundancy costs, and transfer duties. Its valuation — usually entrusted to an expert — is a major financial stake: seek advice as soon as the notice arrives.
What can be done about a 50/50 shareholder deadlock?
Deadlock that paralyses the company is a classic — and perilous — situation. Several levers exist: the court appointment of a special agent or provisional administrator to keep the business running, the clauses of your shareholders' agreement, or ultimately dissolution for irreconcilable conflict where it paralyses the company (Article 1844-7 of the Civil Code). The right lever depends on the goal: save the company, exit it, or remove the shareholder at fault.
What should I check before buying a business in France?
Beyond the price: the reality of turnover and profitability, the state of the lease and whether it can be assigned, current contracts, registered security interests, and pre-emption rights. Careful drafting and escrow of the price protect the buyer against the seller's debts and creditors. A prior audit by your lawyer secures the deal end to end.

A business dispute to resolve?

Our lawyers reply promptly — and in English.

+33 9 83 68 80 80
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