Launch of our new partnership dedicated to comprehensive Sapin 2 compliance programs!

Soulier Avocats and FCconsulting, a consulting firm specialized in compliance, are excited to announce a joint service offering focused on compliance risk management.

By combining our legal expertise with the operational skills of FCconsulting, we are now able to offer our clients customized anti-corruption services under an all-inclusive Sapin 2 solution, covering:

• The development of your anti-corruption risk mapping, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and facilitating operational decision-making,
• The creation and implementation of all your anti-corruption policies and procedures,
• The delivery of tailored awareness and training programs to strengthen the compliance culture within your company, and
• Assistance and support in case of investigations by authorities or criminal proceedings.

Our mission: Proactively and efficiently ensuring your company's full compliance with the Sapin 2 Law at every stage of its growth.

The Best Lawyers in France™ 2025

We are pleased to announce that two of our partners have again been named in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in France™:

Jean-Luc Soulier, Paris, for his expertise in Litigation, with the specific focus “International”; and

André Soulier, Lyon, named “Best Lawyer of the Year” in Litigation and also recognized for his expertise in Criminal Defense.

Every year, Best Lawyers recognizes the world’s top lawyers by country and practice area.

Congratulations to our teams and warmest thanks to our clients and colleagues for their trust and recognition.

Corporate officer’s criminal and civil liability and delegations of authority: Vade mecum and modus operandi

Jean-Luc Soulier, Esq.

Organizing the management of their subsidiaries in France is a major concern for both French and foreign corporate groups.

Appointing senior executives to positions such as president or managing director partially addresses this issue. However, it does not always meet the challenges of day-to-day management, especially when the designated legal representative is distant from the place of operations.

This is why delegations of authority are increasingly used.

The purpose of this article is to provide a practical overview of the principles governing the liability of corporate officers and the companies they represent, as well as the conditions for the validity of the delegations of authority they grant.

Unfair competition: Classification of prohibited practices

Paul Tournier, Esq.

In France, freedom of trade and industry is long-standing principle, first proclaimed after the French Revolution by the so-called Allarde Decree of March 2 and 17, 1791.

This fundamental principle, that was given constitutional value by the French Constitutional Council in a decision dated January 16, 1982, has one key exception: Unfair competition.

Unfair competition practices are not exhaustively listed in French legislation; instead, they are identified on a case-by-case basis by French courts. However, they can be grouped into four main categories.

European Commission establishes AI Office to strengthen EU leadership in trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

Claire Filliatre, Esq.

On May 29, 2024, the European Commission unveiled the Artificial Intelligence Office aimed at “enabling the future development, deployment and use of AI in a way that fosters societal and economic benefits and innovation, while mitigating risks”.

This new Office will play a key role in implementing the European Artificial Intelligence Act, strengthen the development and use of safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence, and positioning the European Union as a leader in international discussions.

Invitation - Compliance Task Force - CSR as a strategic challenge for companies: Insights and best practices from an industrial group

The next meeting of the Compliance Task Force created by the European American Chamber of Commerce Auvergne Rhone-Alps (EACC) in partnership with Soulier Avocats will take place on November 5, 2024 at the Lyon offices of Envu, an independent group founded in 2022, building on 50 years of expertise as a former Business Unit of Bayer Crop Science.

Following a brief review of the latest developments in compliance by our Counsel Claire Filliatre, Marine Sanouiller, Director of Sustainable Development at Envu, and Hervé Kintzler, Head of Governance, Risk, and Compliance at Envu, will share their experiences and best practices on CSR.

Key topics will include:

• CSR, defining and implementing strategic action pillars: Methodology, engagement of the executive committee and key people,
• Benefits and lessons of broad stakeholder engagement,
• Implementing CSR: Remodeling your sustainability report in line with the CSRD,
• Discussion / Q&A: Challenges in shifting CSR from a side concern to a central strategic issue.

Two prestigious appointments for two former members of Soulier Avocats

We are pleased and proud to congratulate Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, on his elevation to the rank of cardinal on next December 8 in Rome, and François-Noël Buffet, appointed French Minister for Overseas Territories on September 21.

We fondly wish our former colleagues great success in their respective endeavors, both for our country and for the Church.