Franco-German Workgroup

In order to benefit from the strong trading relationship between Germany and France, businesses need a solid command of the legal and tax framework in the two countries. CMS has responded to this need by offering a special range of services geared towards the Franco-German market. The aim is to meet the requirements of our clients as efficiently as possible by focusing on the relevant areas.

Experienced teams that provide advice on specific Franco-German issues

We leverage the expertise of our local legal teams to offer integrated transnational services covering every specialist area. These proven teams each have a designated contact person who takes responsibility for your particular matter.

We understand the economic, cultural and legal environment in France and Germany, allowing you to benefit from our in-depth market knowledge, network of top-level contacts within the business community and in public administration, as well as our solid experience of legal practice and local conventions.

Why you should choose CMS to advise on your Franco-German projects

The core added value delivered by CMS’s teams derives from a long tradition of shared experience and advice in Franco-German matters. We place great emphasis on continually updating and consolidating our skills. Our teams meet on a regular basis to exchange insights and consider the latest legal developments.

Our specialised, value-adding services deliver valuable support for your cross-border projects.

We organise regular conferences and seminars on current legal and tax topics of relevance to each of the countries. Attending these meetings allows you to continually update your knowledge and benefit directly from our experience and analysis activity. Every two months we also publish the Lettre France-Allemagne, an information newsletter that covers the major legal and tax changes affecting Franco-German business relations. All the newsletters published to date can be found at Newsletter.

In addition, we support the training of young lawyers who specialise in Franco-German issues. Each year we award the Franco-German CMS Prize for research work on a topic involving a comparison of German and French law. Our junior lawyers also have the opportunity to build on their legal and tax knowledge by participating in an exchange programme between our law firms.

For many years now we have been editing and updating an established handbook on Franco-German business relations, the Dossiers Internationaux-Allemagne published by Editions Francis Lefebvre. Lastly, members of the Franco-German Workgroup produce many articles on cross-border legal and tax issues which are published in the legal press.