CHERQUI & RICHEMOND LAW FIRM: YOUR REAL PROPERTY ATTORNEYS IN FRANCE

Grégory CHERQUI has been a member of the Paris Bar for the past 20 years. He practices exclusively in real property law, a field in which he is a recognized expert. 

Raphaël RICHEMOND, is also a member of the Paris Bar and member of the New-York Bar.  Like Grégory, Raphaël has extensive experience in the area of real property law.  Raphaël is fluent in both French and English and can easily communicate with clients in both languages, having studied law in both French, completing his law degree at Sciences PO and English, obtaining an LLM at University of Pennsylvania.

Grégory and Raphaël have decided to combine their skills with a view to advising international clients who wish to settle in France or conduct real estate transactions in France. Grégory and Raphaël believe that their legal services will be of particular assistance to those impacted by Brexit including traders now settling in Paris having been previously based in London.

Grégory and Raphaël are able to advise clients on all aspects of French real property law including acquisitions, lease agreements, rental investments and construction projects.

The legal expertise of Grégory and Raphaël is required for any foreigner carrying out real estate transactions in France.  French real property law is a highly technical field that is ever-changing and even standard transactions can prove quite challenging for the uninitiated.  All legal documents related to real property transactions completed in France – a sale or lease for example – prepared by real estate agents and/or notaries, are exclusively drafted in French and are usually not satisfactorily explained to the foreign client. At best, the real estate agent will provide his client some often incomplete clarifications in broken English and exclusively focus completing the transaction, regardless of the client having fully grasped the scope of his or her commitments. Grégory and Raphaël will ensure that our clients understand the scope and nature of all contracts they are considering entering and guard against any unwanted surprises. Clients will not only benefit from their technical understanding of this area of law but also from their ability to explain the relevant legal concepts in English.

During the first appointment, Grégory and Raphaël typically review any proposed contracts (e.g. provisional and preliminary agreements for the sale or reservation of real estate properties, commercial or residential lease) supplied by real-estate agents, notaries or land developers.  They then carefully evaluate the contracts and walk clients through precisely what they mean.  At all times, Grégory and Raphaël have a view to ensuring that their clients’ interests are properly accounted for and their rights protected, delineating the significance of certain clauses and amending the agreements as appropriate. The significance of this process cannot be overstated: even in the presence of the “deal of the century”, no document should be signed without first consulting us.

Examples of what Grégory and Raphaël can do are as follows:

• In the event of purchase of an apartment or house as principal residence, we will explain the legal, financial and technical features of the property which are known at that point;
• In the event of the purchase of a leased property (apartment, offices or commercial premises), we will need to review the legal documents, in particular the lease or the successive leases, in order to perform an audit of the rental status of the property and to explain everything before any acquisition; and
• Should litigation arise between the parties during the course of the transaction, we will stand at your side to protect your rights, if necessary, under any circumstances.

Do not hesitate to reach us by email at cabinet@cherqui.fr or by phone at +33 (0) 1 44 05 32 90, in order to discuss your case and arrange an appointment.