French estate planning and wills

How we can help

We offer specialist, bilingual expertise to clients who require advice on wills and estate planning in a French law context.

Common issues where our team can help include:

where there are assets in France, particularly where there is immovable property
French succession law and its impact on other issues such as legal reserve and rights for spouses
French inheritance tax
wills in French holographic form
changes in matrimonial property law/French marriage contracts
transfer of ownership by way of sale or gift as a succession planning tool
domicile for succession purposes

Our team

All members of the team from our lawyers to our administrative assistants and support staff are bilingual. Our team of lawyers has first-hand knowledge of the interaction of the French and English legal systems. We have huge experience in the field of French property and succession and are frequently asked to act as expert witness on matters of French laws in legal proceedings conducted in the UK. Much of our work comes from referrals from other lawyers and professional firms.

We belong to STEP UK (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), are members of LEXUNION and are accredited consultants to CRIDON Lyon.

French law team

Our people

Nicole Gallop Mildon is a qualified notaire and advises on a wide range of matters relating to French property, including advice on tax and estate planning. She has an extensive professional network across France and other European countries which enables her to provide a seamless service to her clients. Patrick Delas has qualified as a French avocat in 1995 and deals with a wide range of matters relating to French property ownership including advice on acquisition, inheritance and tax law.

They all have extensive experience of French law that comes only from working in France and an extensive network of French contacts.

Charging information

We work on hourly rates which reflect the skill and experience of our French qualified lawyers (who are also English solicitors), and other bilingual members of the team.

At the outset we will let you have an estimate or budget of the likely costs based on the information available to us at the time and will update these if your requirements or the circumstances of the case change.

We will work with you and your other professional advisers to find a solution which is effective across boundaries and taking into account not only the level of risk which you are prepared to accept but also the relative financial importance of the matter to you.

Get in touch

If you would like to speak with a member of the team you can contact our French law solicitors by email, by telephone on +44 (0)20 3826 7514 or complete our enquiry form below.

Enquiry form Email us