Are you a borrower, a bank customer, personal or business bank account holders, a security depositor and you find yourself in difficulty with your bank or your lending institution, whether it be relating to your mortgage or the day-to-day management of your bank account, your investments, or consumer loans?

Mr. Laurent LATAPIE advises and guides you through all amicable or contentious proceedings to secure legal extensions or suspensions of payment deadlines, to challenge applied fees, charges, interest or penalties relating to a loan or bank account or to dispute the validity of an “accelerated payment” demand.

Mr. Laurent LATAPIE defends your interests in all jurisdictions and notably in front of a Procedural Justice judge in the event of foreclosure proceedings initiated by the bank.

The means of defense against banking institutions are numerous:

• Responsibility of banking and lending institutions
• Non-provision of mandatory advice and attention to important details,
• disproportionate and unadapted loans,
• unenforceable guarantees,
• improper support,
• wrongful closure of a bank account,
• improper banking assistance,
• irregular demand for an accelerated payment,
• non-compliance with consumer law,
• non-compliance with loan related death and disability insurance,
• challenging accrued loan interests,
• inaccurate billing,
• improper foreclosure process,
• out of court or by court sales,
• inappropriate charges
• deadline extension requests
• legal suspension of payment deadlines,
• foreign currency loans,
• bad account management,
• cheque and credit card fraud,
• group insurance,
• debt recovery via foreclosure

In all cases you have rights that banking institutions have to respect. These rights must be raised and presented before the Procedural Justice judge in the event of a foreclosure process.

You are a business, self-employed, a business owner, a property or commercial entity and you are encountering financial difficulties?

Mr. Laurent LATAPIE defends and guides you through all commercial processes, most notably in partner disputes, judicial conciliation, safeguards, restructuring or winding-up proceedings.

The process is vast and financial stakes very high, as much for the company as the owner. The matter is complex and requires a strategic vision together with a technical approach to deal with each stage. For information:

• Company formation,
• Partner disputes,
• Declaring default in payment,
• Opening of a collective proceeding,
• Judicial safeguards, restructuring, winding-up proceedings,
• Safeguard and restructuring plan,
• Reorganization proceedings,
• Outstanding contract proceedings,
• Bank account proceedings,
• Cancellation of the commercial rental agreement,
• Cancellation of employment contracts and redundancies,
• Securing salaries for workers via appropriate organization,
• Debt audit and disputes,
• Guarantee commitment disputes,
• Safeguarding of assets,
• Commercial and criminal penalties,
• Disqualification from managing a company and personal bankruptcy,
• Bankruptcy administrator and court officer responsibility,

In all stages of the process, Mr. Laurent LATAPIE assists and advises you and, where needed, in partnership with the appointed bankruptcy administrator, court officer or relevant party.

You own a property or are soon to do so and you’re having difficulties in the sales process, which can be a complicated affair, whether

it concerns a dispute concerning a hidden defect with the seller, (septic tank, asbestos, etc…)
it concerns negligence of the real estate agent, property surveyor, or the notary, or whether it concerns the building of a house via a construction company in financial difficulty and a liable banking institution,
it concerns an urban planning dispute relating to a prior declaration or a building permit,
it concerns compliance with urban planning regulations relating to the “Allur Law” and moreover housing developments,
it concerns an issue regarding a construction that requires application of a Guarantee of Completion, Two Year Guarantee, 10 Year Guarantee,
it concerns a dispute with a tenant not fulfilling his or her obligations and/or in the case the aforementioned does not pay outstanding rent.

In all cases, Mr. Laurent LATAPIE guides and advises you in all amicable and or potential contentious proceedings with the opposing party and his or her representative, along with bailiffs or other specialist and insuring parties. My intervention also includes interim proceedings, specialist interim proceedings, guiding you all through the specialist process making sure your rights are represented at the competent courts.

You are a tenant, private or commercial, my firm will offer you total support ensuring that landlords uphold their obligations to provide suitable living conditions or that commercial leaseholders can operate in the right conditions.

Mr. Laurent LATAPIE will also assist you in rental agreement cancellation proceedings and to represent you to oversee and guarantee the coherent revision of lease agreements, adapted to the commercial site in question.

Finally, Mr. Laurent LATAPIE has interest in legal and judicial hypothesis specifically relating to management lease contracts, with specific emphasis on the legal mutual understanding between landlord and lease manager and the taking-over of employee needs/requirements when a company goes through winding-up proceedings.

With a Master’s Degree in Law (Judicial Careers) and Forensic Science and Auditor at the Institute for Higher National Defense Studies (IHEDN), I gained valuable experience in commercial, company, real estate, and banking law. Add to that legal ramifications surrounding companies in financial difficulty. For more than 8 years I worked with a Court Officer for several commercial courts.

Experience that has been reinforced with my Master II in Economic and Business Law Research and furthermore, by supporting a thesis on the subject of “Bank support of a company in financial difficulty according to the Insolvency Act of 26 July 2005”.

As a Ph.D. of Law, I also lecture at university as the lead lecturer on Company Law, Contract Law, as well as Property Security Law and Procedural Law.

My all-round experience in banking law, foreclosure, real estate law, and insolvency law gives me solid global oversight (technical, legal, accounting, strategic) of a proceeding, as well as the financial stakes, which are a real priority.

I also conduct in-depth research and legal writing in order to represent my client in front of the varying jurisdictions.

Legal considerations and arguments are also highlighted in my university lecturing.

With special passion for economic and business law, banking and foreclosure procedures, I am more than familiar with the ways and the working methods used in legal institutions, whether it be commercial jurisdictions, bankruptcy judges or Procedural Justice judges.

I like to evolve with each dispute to safeguard the interests of companies in financial difficulty, whether it be individuals or property companies who are often disadvantaged against financial, economic, and legal institutions.

My experience and skillsets allow me to call upon all the tools required to defend the interests of my clients and, more globally, to provide a quality legal representation.

I am also very much attached to co-ownership law, real estate law, property security law, and enforcement proceedings, as well as residential and commercial leases.

As a French and English speaker with a passion for international private law and “law-shopping”, I am no stranger to international disputes. I travel all over France, Europe and the world to assist my clients in their contentious or non-contentious proceedings.

I work on behalf of and in the interest of French citizens living abroad as I do for foreign citizens residing in France on issues relating to banking law, company law, international commercial contracts, and insolvency law.

My international representation also covers divorce proceedings, child custody issues, and divorce settlements between French and foreign citizens, notably between French and North Americans, Mexicans, Central and South American citizens, as well as Russian and Eastern European nationals.

Every case is different and the international context demands specific checks to assure which law is applicable, whether it be French or foreign law. This is conducted in total respect of international treaties and conventions, as well as European standards.

This also applies to determine whether or not a French judge is competent.

Representations also include making sure a decision made in a foreign jurisdiction can be applied in France, as much as a French judicial decision can be applied in other countries around the world.

This international involvement is also thanks to my firm’s commitment and investment in the defense of human rights, women’s rights, human rights and children’s’ rights through Lawyers without Borders France (Avocats Sans Frontières France) where I head the project PADEF-Chad, an initiative providing access to legal assistance for women and children. My firm also intervenes as part of the project PRODEF-Ivory Coast, promoting and protecting human rights.

As a sports lawyer and representative, I work hand in hand with sportsmen and women, managers and coaches, sports clubs, sporting federations, agents, as well as sponsors.

There are many overlapping legal contexts and issues between actors in the world of sport.

The varying needs include counsel and advice on the preparation of working contracts, the breaking of those contracts, the transfer of players, all within the scope of contractual links between players, sports clubs and different financial partners in drafting advertising or sponsorship agreements whilst protecting the image of the player and/or his or her club.

There are also legal connotations when a fixed-term working contract is broken, for example, or in another context involving the transfer of players in the event of conflict involving publicity appearances or the payment of fees relating to advertising contracts.

A lawyer, as a legal professional, is the most suitable representative to take clients through the entire process, whether it be a purchase or sale of a property or even its rental.

The real estate mandate is one of the newest services offered by a lawyer.

As a lawyer and real estate representative, I can represent you in all aspects and steps of a contractual process in the world of property.

At the same time, my firm can offer you its assistance with a property search and the negotiation and contractual steps with the other party.

Terms are on a per-representation basis.

I also apply consultation fees if you have specific questions.