Choosing a criminal lawyer in Paris: what to assess

gparastatis

Oct 30

7 min read

Under Article 63-3-1 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure, a person held in police custody may ask for a lawyer from the beginning of custody. That is why choosing a criminal lawyer in Paris often happens under time pressure.

How to assess a Paris criminal lawyer's experience

A lawyer's registration, their experience and their record before a given court are three separate questions. Each needs its own check. The order matters: status first, then the type of case, then the court where the case is likely to end up.

Check registration and specialisation

An avocat pénaliste is a French criminal defence lawyer. A UK solicitor or barrister does not automatically have rights of audience in French criminal courts. The Paris Bar directory lets you check whether a lawyer is registered, which firm they belong to and whether they hold a certified specialisation in criminal law. This is the first check to run on law firms in Paris that describe themselves as criminal practices.

The Conseil national des barreaux recognises 28 specialisation areas, and a lawyer may hold up to two mentions. A website that says it practises criminal law is not proof of certification. Georges Parastatis has been a member of the Paris Bar since 1997 and states that he has more than 30 years of criminal defence experience. Registration confirms professional status. Experience with your type of case has to be assessed separately.

Match experience to the allegation and stage

The distinction that carries weight here is the procedural stage. Police custody, a fraud enquiry built on large volumes of documents, and a trial each call for different experience. When you compare lawyers, ask each one what they personally did in comparable investigations. Ask whether they handled the custody stage, the enquiry or the hearing.

A fraud or money-laundering defence may involve financial records, company structures, beneficial ownership, international transfers and seized electronic communications. The National Financial Prosecutor's Office handles certain complex financial offences, but not every fraud allegation. What counts is experience with the authority actually dealing with your case, not with financial cases in general.

Sexual-offence allegations require a different method. Cabinet Georges Parastatis checks the alleged chronology against telephone, digital, surveillance and physical evidence. It also examines the method and limits of expert reports and asks for a counter-expertise where necessary. This approach to the defence of sexual assault charges begins in the first hours of proceedings.

Test experience in the relevant criminal court

The correctional court (tribunal correctionnel) hears délits, the middle category of offences, including many fraud and laundering cases. Defending a case there can involve reviewing the file, making applications, examining witnesses, dealing with confiscation and attending hearings. The departmental criminal court tries qualifying crimes punishable by 15 or 20 years' imprisonment. The cour d'assises hears crimes within its jurisdiction, including those punishable by 30 years or life imprisonment.

Preparing for an assize trial means requesting investigative measures, reconstructing events, preparing oral testimony and arguing before professional judges and a jury. Cabinet Georges Parastatis prepares its defence before the assize court in this way. It represents accused people, assists victims and prepares clients for questioning at trial.

Ask whether the lawyer led the case or assisted on it, and at which stage. A published result does not prove that the lawyer personally conducted the defence. No lawyer should promise you a particular verdict or sentence.

What to check when someone is in police custody

Police custody can begin without warning, and the rules that apply depend on the exact legal status of the person held. The first thing to establish is whether the person is formally detained. Only then can you judge what the lawyer can do and whether the emergency service a firm offers is real.

Establish the person's procedural status

Police custody, or garde à vue, is detention under statutory necessity conditions. It applies to a person suspected of an offence punishable by imprisonment. A voluntary interview is different: an adult suspect may leave at any time. Telling the two apart determines which rights apply and how much time is available.

Information: the person must be told what offence is suspected.
Silence and interpretation: the person may remain silent and has a right to an interpreter where applicable.
Legal assistance: the person may request a lawyer at the start of custody or at any point during it.
Duration: the normal initial period is 24 hours, with a further 24 hours possible if authorised. Specially regulated offences can have different periods.

One point worth knowing about Article 63-3-1: if the chosen lawyer cannot be contacted, or cannot attend within two hours of notification, the police contact the local Bar president to arrange an appointed lawyer. This rule does not guarantee that the lawyer you chose will arrive. The family should therefore call that lawyer as soon as the arrest is known.

Understand what the custody lawyer can do

A custody lawyer can meet the detained person privately, explain the right to silence, read the documents legally available at that stage and attend questioning. Article 63-4 limits the confidential consultation to 30 minutes. A further consultation is available at the start of an authorised extension. For custody measures from 1 July 2024, questioning cannot in principle begin without the lawyer who was requested or appointed.

The exceptions are an express waiver by the person, or a statutory exception authorised by a written, reasoned decision. Postponing the lawyer's attendance also requires such a decision. A prosecutor may authorise up to 12 hours. In qualifying cases involving offences punishable by at least five years' imprisonment, a judge may authorise postponement up to the 24th hour. The defence lawyer then checks the legal basis of any postponement or extension.

Verify the emergency response offered

Cabinet Georges Parastatis states that immediate criminal defence intervention is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including assistance during police custody and questioning. A promise of availability is only worth something if you know how it works in practice.

Ask who answers the phone outside office hours, who will go to the police station, and what happens if the lead lawyer is in court. A telephone response, initial advice and physical attendance at the station are three different services. Ask which of them is being offered.

Ask too whether the lawyer called in the emergency can continue the criminal proceedings after custody ends. Cabinet Georges Parastatis also deals with arrests, summonses, judicial investigations, pre-trial detention hearings and trial representation, all part of its criminal defence service in Paris.

How to compare criminal defence costs

Two fee proposals can only be compared if they cover the same work. Before looking at amounts, check three things: the written agreement, the stages of the case it covers, and whether legal aid or court expenses apply.

Read the written fee agreement

There is no single official tariff for privately instructed criminal lawyers in France. Article 10 of the French law of 31 December 1971 generally requires a written fee agreement, with specified exceptions. Its fee-agreement provisions were amended with effect from 5 August 2026. The agreement, called a convention d'honoraires, should state the following:

Scope: the work the lawyer expects to carry out.
Method: a fixed fee, an hourly rate, staged payments, or a combination.
Expenses: the costs and disbursements expected on top of the fee.
Limit on result-based fees: a fee based only on the outcome of the case is prohibited.

The Paris Bar's professional rules require a lawyer to explain how fees are calculated and to keep you informed as they change. The pages of Cabinet Georges Parastatis do not publish criminal defence fees. The amount is set in the agreement, according to the case.

Compare like-for-like representation

A quote for custody only does not cover the whole case. A fee for the investigation stage should not be assumed to include a later trial. Check which of the following each proposal covers:

Early stages: custody, preliminary investigation and judicial investigation.
Detention: applications concerning pre-trial detention.
Court stages: trial, appeal and work on how the sentence is carried out.
Additional costs: VAT, travel, extra hearings, expert reports, translations and other lawyers.

The likely cost depends on how urgent the case is, how many people are involved, how much evidence there is, how long the investigation lasts, and whether experts or an appeal are needed. The proposal should also set out any staged payments and how extra work will be approved.

Check legal aid and other expenses

French legal aid can cover 100% of eligible representation costs, or 55% or 25% where partial aid is granted. Certain foreign nationals involved in French criminal proceedings, including qualifying defendants and accused persons, may be eligible wherever they live. A UK resident should not assume they are excluded.

A court-appointed lawyer is not automatically free: appointment and eligibility for legal aid are separate questions. Income, assets, household and legal-expenses insurance all affect an application, but an urgent custody request should never wait for the result. Under Article 800-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, from 21 February 2026 criminal justice expenses are generally paid by the convicted person, subject to exceptions. These expenses are separate from lawyers' fees.

What to cover in the first contact

The first call to a lawyer decides how quickly they can act. In an emergency, the person's identity, where they are being held and their exact situation matter more than any document.

Give the immediate facts

Say at the start whether the person is detained, summoned, attending voluntarily, under investigation or already before a court. Say also whether another French lawyer has already been appointed. Then give:

Identity: the person's name and nationality.
Location: the police station or court, if known.
Allegation: the suspected offence, as the police described it.
Timing: any case reference, and the time of the next interview or hearing.

Cabinet Georges Parastatis offers confidential assistance from the first contact, on 01 44 01 58 59, 06 79 60 25 64, or by email at ge@parastatisavocat.com.

Clarify conflicts and communication

Before sending large amounts of sensitive material, ask how the firm checks for conflicts of interest and protects documents. A conflict can arise if the firm already represents another suspect, or has advised the company, the complainant or a witness. Ask who will attend police interviews, review the file, prepare submissions and appear at hearings, and who steps in if the lead lawyer is unavailable.

For an English-speaking client, agree who explains French procedural documents, who arranges translations and who keeps the client or family in the UK updated. The status of mis en examen should be explained, not simply translated as "charged": the French status has its own procedural consequences.

Coordinate advice from the UK

A French-registered lawyer should handle the French criminal proceedings. A UK solicitor can give complementary advice on exposure in the UK, assets, disclosure or company issues. The responsibilities of each team should be agreed at the outset.

In a cross-border fraud case, ask about foreign banking evidence, asset freezing, requests for evidence and any realistic risk of surrender. A French summons is not in itself an extradition request. Surrender arrangements between the UK and the EU changed from 1 January 2021 under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

The British Consulate can provide information about English-speaking lawyers and interpreters. It cannot conduct a defence, pay legal fees or secure a release. Cabinet Georges Parastatis handles cases in Paris and throughout France, and speaks with clients by phone or videoconference.