“I consulted RATHEAUX about a plan to form a company with a partner. We particularly appreciated the fact that we got answers immediately about the impact in terms of tax, employment law and the balance of power between partners. Finding all the answers in one place meant that we could form a company actually tailored to our expectations, and then bring in a financial partner by putting in place a bespoke shareholders’ agreement. We were able to focus on developing our business, while RATHEAUX took care of day-to-day legal matters including our commercial lease, our General Terms and Conditions and the General Conditions of Use of our online sales website. They always kept to the budgets quoted and we now work on the basis of an annual inclusive fee.”

Corporate law

15 January 2019

“We had a franchise contract which was terminated by our partner at unacceptable conditions and without any notice. The termination of our contract is a huge financial problem for us. We contacted RATHEAUX who immediately compiled a dossier to contest this termination. We worked out a defence strategy and initiated a rapid procedure to have our business relationship continue, and above all to obtain delivery of our orders, and another procedure to obtain compensation for our losses. Finally, after several months of legal wrangling, with an adversary who tried every remedy hoping that we would go bankrupt, we got a judgement awarding us over € 1 million in compensation and € 50 k for all our legal and court costs. Throughout this period and despite our dejection at times because of our financial worries, RATHEAUX was always there to help us and above all to frustrate the legal manoeuvrings of the opposing party.”

12 march 2019

“As director of a group of companies in the Rhône-Alpes region, created as we developed new business activities, after some years I found myself with a group which was performing very well economically but was badly organised legally. So I consulted the solicitors at RATHEAUX who were recommended to me as restructuring specialists and I was assisted by a corporate law specialist and a taxation lawyer. I could then see that these two lawyers were very complementary on the subject and that taxation was a dominant factor in the reorganisation options they proposed. Following this restructuring operation, I finally had a comprehensible and homogeneous group, which will allow me, when I so decide, to sell it or pass it on to my children and is thus helpful in this way while I can rest assured that I am guided by lawyers with a thorough knowledge of my group.”

Tax law

15 January 2019

“Due to our company’s merger with another company in the group, our agreement about working arrangements and hours has been called into question, which necessitated the renegotiation of a new agreement within 15 months. In addition, we found that this working hours arrangement had become unsuitable given the organisational and economic constraints of the business’ activity. RATHEAUX assisted us throughout this process by identifying the right contacts for this negotiation, proceeding with an audit of the existing situation, and writing the draft of the new business agreement. We were advised appropriately throughout the negotiation with the personnel representatives in our business. Thanks to this assistance, we managed to reach an agreement which was satisfactory to all parties, and the implementation of which meets our expectations.”

Employment law

8 February 2019

“RATHEAUX informed us that we should change our contracts to add some wording as a result of the Data Privacy Regulations. We asked RATHEAUX to carry out an audit of the types of sensitive data which we use when working with our clients, and they then assisted us in organising the checking procedure and the drafting of the necessary documents. We particularly appreciated their pragmatic approach with examples based on real cases which allowed us to be operational without delay.”

Law relating to contracts and new technologies

15 January 2019

“At an international trade show, a bailiff came to our stand with a judge’s order giving him the power to seize the machines we were showing and all the documents we had at the show. Shocked by this turn of events which caused quite a stir in the show, I immediately contacted RATHEAUX who asked me to quickly send them the judge’s order with the application. My contact got in touch with the bailiff and the other party’s solicitor and then contacted the judge urgently to obtain a decision to sequester the documents. The following day, we obtained this decision which allowed us to prevent the items seized, in particular the financial ones, from being passed to the opposing party. RATHEAUX then obtained a second decision ordering an expert appraisal of the documents to determine those which could be passed to the opposing party without breaching business secrecy. While the procedure then followed its normal course, RATHEAUX’s speed of reaction meant that we prevented confidential data from being accessed by the opposing party.”

Intellectual property law

12 March 2019

“We wanted to develop the sale of our products in Asia. We were thinking of a partnership or business finder contract. RATHEAUX explained to us the risks of requalification and advised us on the choice between an exclusive distribution contract under French law or commercial agent contract governed by Singapore law. We opted for a contract under Singapore law and RATHEAUX coordinated the relationship with their local correspondent, by working directly in English.”

International law

15 January 2018