On April 7, 2017, the French-American Bar Association (FABA) held a conference in Paris dedicated to the reform of French contract law and its implications in an international context. The event took place at the Paris offices of the law firm Dentons, on Boulevard Malesherbes, and brought together French and international legal professionals interested in understanding the major changes introduced by the Ordinance of February 10, 2016.
Effective as of October 1, 2016, the reform of contract law, from the general regime of obligations and rules of evidence, significantly modernized the French Civil Code. It redefined several core concepts of contract law, including contract formation, good faith, hardship (imprévision), remedies for non-performance, and the assignment of contracts. In an increasingly globalized economy, these changes raised important questions regarding their practical consequences for legal practitioners and economic actors involved in cross-border transactions.
The conference was structured as an interactive panel discussion, allowing speakers to combine academic and practical perspectives on the impact of the reform. Discussions focused on how the new provisions of French contract law may be perceived by foreign counterparties, as well as their influence on the negotiation and performance of international contracts. Issues such as legal certainty, the attractiveness of French law, and comparisons with common law systems were also addressed.
The speakers included Ms. Cassandre Mariton-Segard, Head of the “Legal and Tax Protection” Department at AVIVA and a member of the Paris and New York Bars; Mr. Richard Marty, Of Counsel at Dentons, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Master’s Program in Business Law (Banking and Capital Markets) at the University of Maine; and Mr. Laurent Soubelet, Managing Director at Capavocat, lecturer and trainer in contract law, and Of Counsel at SSC Avocats. Their complementary backgrounds provided a comprehensive and balanced analysis of the reform.
The conference was moderated by Ms. Céline Bondard, Partner at Bondard & Partners and President of FABA France, together with Mr. Pascal Chadenet, Managing Partner France of Dentons in Paris. The event concluded with a cocktail reception, offering participants an opportunity for informal discussions and professional networking.
Accredited as part of mandatory continuing legal education for attorneys in France, this conference fully reflected FABA’s mission to promote Franco-American legal dialogue and to support legal professionals in navigating contemporary cross-border legal challenges.