Costs in France
Costs for legal proceedings, appeals and the alternative dispute resolution process
Case study |
Legal proceedings |
||
Initial court fees |
Transcription fees |
Other fees |
|
Case A |
Court of first instance: no, there are no initial fees. Commercial court: yes, initial fees are at least EUR 69.97 |
Court of first instance: no |
Court of first instance: no |
Case B |
Court of first instance: no, there are no initial fees. Commercial court: yes, initial fees are at least EUR 69.97 |
Court of first instance: no |
Court of first instance: no |
Case study |
Appeal |
Alternative dispute resolution process |
|||
Initial court fees |
Transcription fees |
Other fees |
Is this option available in this type of case? |
Costs |
|
Case A |
No |
No |
No |
Yes Conciliation Judicial mediation Extrajudicial mediation |
Free Fixed by the judge. Agreement between the parties and the mediator. |
Case B |
No |
No |
No |
Yes Conciliation Judicial mediation Extrajudicial mediation |
Free Fixed by the judge. Agreement between the parties and the mediator. |
Costs for lawyer, bailiff and expert
Case study |
Lawyer |
Bailiff |
Expert |
||||
Is representation compulsory? |
Average costs |
Is representation compulsory? |
Pre-judgment costs |
Post-judgment costs |
Is use compulsory? |
Costs |
|
Case A |
Court of first instance: yes Commercial court: no Appeal court: yes |
Lawyers: Statistics not available Court advocates: EUR 983 |
Yes |
Summons: EUR 18.70 Service: EUR 26.70 |
Service: EUR 26.70 |
No |
Fees fixed by the judge. |
Case B |
Court of first instance: yes Commercial court: no Appeal court: yes |
Lawyers: Statistics not available Court advocates: EUR 983 |
Yes |
Summons: EUR 18.70 Service: EUR 26.70 |
Service: EUR 26.70 |
No |
Fees fixed by the judge. |
Costs for witness compensation, pledge or other security
Case study |
Witness compensation |
Oath or other security |
Are witnesses compensated? |
Does this exist and when and how is it used? |
|
Case A |
Yes (decree of 27 December 1920 revising witness fees) |
No |
Case B |
Yes (decree of 27 December 1920 revising witness fees) |
No |
Costs for legal aid and other reimbursement
Case study |
Legal aid |
||
When and under which conditions is it necessary? |
When is aid total? |
Conditions? |
|
Case A |
For-profit corporations (e.g. a company) cannot benefit from legal aid. In France, this can only be granted to individuals, as well as, under certain conditions, not-for-profit corporations and homeowners’ associations. |
The State pays all court fees if the mother has full legal aid. |
Full legal aid is granted if the monthly income declared by the petitioner does not exceed EUR 911. Partial aid is granted for those with income between this amount and EUR 1 367. The upper limits for income are raised by EUR 164 for the first two dependants and EUR 104 for the third dependant and any subsequent. |
Case B |
Idem |
Idem |
Idem |
Case study |
Reimbursement |
|||
Can the winning party obtain reimbursement of litigation costs? |
If reimbursement is not total what is the percentage in general? |
What costs are never reimbursed? |
Are there instances when legal aid should be reimbursed to the legal aid organisation? |
|
Case A |
Yes |
Total reimbursement of listed fees, unless otherwise decided by the judge. |
Unlisted fees: indemnity fixed by the judge on an equitable basis |
When the judge’s decision awards costs to a party who does not benefit from legal aid, the party has to reimburse the Treasury office with the costs advanced by the State in the defence of the party who does benefit from legal aid. |
Case B |
Yes |
Total reimbursement of listed fees, unless otherwise decided by the judge. |
Unlisted fees: indemnity fixed by the judge on an equitable basis |
Idem |
Costs for translation and interpretation
Case study |
Translation |
Interpretation |
||
When and under which conditions is it necessary? |
Approximate cost? |
When and under which conditions is it necessary? |
Approximate cost? |
|
Case A |
Documents submitted to the judge must be translated. |
There are no statistics available. |
When the judge does not understand the language in which the parties communicate. |
Fees fixed by the judge. |
Case B |
Documents submitted to the judge must be translated. Part of the inquiry procedure under Council Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 of 28 May 2001. |
There are no statistics available. |
When the judge does not understand the language in which the parties communicate. Part of the inquiry procedure under Council Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 of 28 May 2001. |
Fees fixed by the judge. |
The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.