The relationship between the Firm and the Client is governed by these general terms and conditionsof engagement (the “General Terms and Conditions of Engagement”), supplemented, where applicable, by an Engagement Letter.
Terms that begin with a capital letter—regardless of whether they are in the singular or plural—have the meanings given below:
the beneficiary of the Mission.
the General Terms and Conditions of Service, the Engagement Letter, and the documents referred to therein.
Selarl DDG, 21 rue Clément Marot, 75008 Paris, a member of the Paris Bar Association, the Client’s contracting party, and the entity performing the Assignment.
the Client or the Firm or both
the legal services (advice, assistance, and/or representation in court) described in the Engagement Letter and to be provided by the Firm in accordance with the Engagement Letter and the General Terms and Conditions of Engagement.
Upon receipt of the Client’s instructions, the Firm shall provide the Client, via email or in a letter (the “Engagement Letter”):
Attached to this Letter of Engagement are these General Terms and Conditions of Service.
The Client’s acceptance of this Engagement Letter binds the Parties to the Contract. For any new request or substantial change to the instructions, the Firm will issue a memorandum specifying any modifications to be made to the Engagement and the Contract.
The Firm carries out the Assignment in compliance with the regulations applicable to its activities as a law firm, in particular in accordance with Law No. 71-1130 of December 31, 1971, and the RIN (National Internal Regulations of the Legal Profession), and within the framework of a general obligation of means.
Each assignment is overseen by a partner at the firm, even when the firm engages third-party professionals (attorneys, correspondents, experts, consultants) to assist with the assignment.
The deliverables prepared by the Firm as part of the Assignment are provided to the Client for its internal use and must be treated as confidential and in accordance with the section on Intellectual Property.
When the Firm is entrusted with handling funds on behalf of the Client—particularly for the enforcement of court orders or in connection with transactional matters—the Client is informed that such funds must be routed through the Lawyers’ Collection Fund (CARPA).
Before opening a case and undertaking an engagement, the Firm systematically verifies whether any conflict of interest exists. It is the Client’s responsibility to promptly inform the Firm of any circumstances of which the Client is aware and that could influence the assessment of a potential conflict of interest.
The Firm is bound by a duty of professional confidentiality. As such, all information to which the Firm has access, whether provided in writing or orally, constitutes confidential information protected by that duty (the “Confidential Information”).
However, information that is in the public domain at the time it is disclosed is excluded.
Furthermore, the Firm may be required, at the request of professional bodies, pursuant to a court order, or by law, to disclose all or part of the Confidential Information. The Firm may disclose such Confidential Information to its partners involved in the Engagement, provided that it has first ensured that they will be able to maintain its confidentiality.
Except for correspondence bearing the official designation, all communications between attorneys—regardless of their form (oral or written) or medium—are confidential and may not be produced in court or be subject to a waiver of confidentiality.
By default, the Firm holds the intellectual property rights to the deliverables provided in connection with the Engagement (working documents, contracts, studies, consultations, summonses, conclusions, briefs, motions, pleadings, meeting minutes, manuals, scientific articles, training materials, etc.) (the “Deliverables”).
Each Party shall retain ownership of the intellectual property rights relating to preexisting works conceived, developed, and/or owned by it prior to the Mission.
The Firm’s fees are estimated based on the information provided by the Client, generally according to the time spent on the Assignment, based on the hourly rate(s) disclosed to the Client, which are determined by the experience and expertise of the attorneys assigned to the Assignment.
At the Client’s request, the Firm shall provide the Client with fee estimates prior to the start of the engagement. Any excess over the estimated amount must then be approved in advance by the Client.
When the nature of the Engagement permits, the Firm and the Client may agree:
The billing method and the terms for determining the amount of the fees are set forth in the Engagement Letter.
Additional fees and expenses may be charged in the event of unforeseen difficulties, new developments, or complexities that come to light after the Engagement Letter has been issued.
In the event of early termination of the Engagement for any reason whatsoever, and where the work performed by the Firm has resulted in the desired outcome, the success-based fees set forth in the Engagement Letter shall remain applicable and enforceable against the Client. The Client agrees to inform the Firm of the outcome of the case and/or proceeding and, in all cases, to pay the success fee as a matter of priority.
Expenses (travel, lodging, meals, etc.) and disbursements (litigation costs, bailiff fees, court clerk fees, fees for substitute attorneys, fees for formalities and publications, taxes, etc.) are not included in the fees. To the extent possible, expenses and disbursements are subject to a request for an advance or are billed directly to the Client, who arranges for direct payment to the respective providers, or are re-billed on a euro-for-euro basis.
VAT applies to all of our invoices for fees and disbursements.
Fees are generally billed on a monthly basis for services rendered during the previous month, on a case-by-case basis, accompanied by a detailed time sheet showing the time spent by each attorney on the case. However, the Client and the Firm may agree to the payment of an advance before the start of the Engagement.
Unless otherwise expressly agreed, the fees, disbursements, and expenses of other professionals engaged by the Firm to perform the services (judicial officers, associate attorneys, experts, etc.) are not advanced by the Firm and are billed directly to the Client by the professional. If otherwise agreed, the invoice issued by the Firm will include these disbursements, distinguishing them from the Fees.
The Firm’s invoices are payable upon receipt and no later than thirty (30) days from the invoice date, by check or bank transfer.
If payment is not made by the due date, late payment penalties equal to three (3) times the statutory interest rate shall become automatically due on the day following the payment due date, without the need for a reminder. In addition, non-consumer Customers must pay a flat-rate compensation fee for collection costs in the amount of forty (40) euros.
The Client agrees to cooperate in good faith with the Firm and, in particular, to provide the Firm with—or use its best efforts to obtain—any information or documents that may be necessary for the performance of the Assignment.
Otherwise, the Firm cannot be held liable for any delays and/or non-compliance resulting from these difficulties.
The Firm processes personal data. This may include the Client’s personal data or personal data contained in documents relating to the Client’s representatives, associates, employees, clients, prospects, and suppliers, whether such data was collected directly from the Client or provided by the Client.
This personal data is processed for the following purposes:
With regard to personal data collected directly from the Customer, the Customer’s representatives and employees have the right to access, rectify, object to processing, and erasure, as well as the right to restrict processing and the right to data portability. These rights may be exercised by sending an email to ddg@ddg.fr.
With regard to personal data provided to the Firm by the Client or by a third party on the Client’s behalf, the Client shall ensure that such data has been collected in compliance with applicable regulations. In accordance with Article 14(5)(d) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the Firm is not required to inform the data subjects of the processing it carries out in connection with its Engagement, given the professional secrecy to which it is bound.
The firm's privacy policy can be viewed here: Privacy Policy
The firm’s activities are covered by professional liability insurance underwritten by the Paris Bar Association.
The engagement ends upon completion of the services described in the Engagement Letter.
Either Party may terminate this agreement early, including the Firm in the event of the Client’s failure to pay its fees, provided that professional obligations are met.
The termination of the Engagement, regardless of the cause, does not affect the rights acquired by each Party as of the termination date, and any amounts owed to the Firm must be paid in full by the Client.
As of the date of the Assignment’s completion or its effective termination, the Firm shall be released from any ongoing services or assignments on behalf of the Client. However, the completion or termination of the Assignment shall not affect any provision of the General Terms and Conditions of Service that is intended to survive such completion or termination.
In the event that the Firm withdraws from the case, the Client agrees to pay the balance of the fees due prior to the withdrawal.
The Firm may engage subcontractors to assist it in carrying out its Assignment, provided that the Firm shall remain liable to the Client for all services, including those that may be performed by a subcontractor.
The relationship between the Firm and its Clients is governed by French law. In the event of a dispute concerning the performance or interpretation of the Agreement, the Parties shall use their best efforts to resolve it amicably.
In the absence of an agreement, and in the event of disputes concerning the amount and collection of fees, costs, and disbursements, the Parties may refer the matter to the President of the Paris Bar Association in accordance with the procedure set forth in Articles 174 et seq. of Decree No. 91-1197 of November 27, 1991, governing the legal profession.
