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Apart from offering expert legal consultancy for local jurisdictions, CMS Francis Lefebvre partners up with you to effectively navigate the complexities of global business and legal environments.

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François Coutard
Partner

François Coutard

Chairman of the Executive Board

Languages
  • French
  • English
Social media

François Coutard is a partner in the Employment Law team of CMS Francis Lefebvre Lyon.

Specialised in employment, social security and social welfare law, he mainly represents clients in non-contentious matters. He provides daily guidance to companies on legal aspects of individual and collective work relations, as well as the subject of social protection. Alongside the managers, he contributes to devising useful legal strategies for their projects. He has a wealth of experience notably within the field of employee representation and in the management of social relations: he assists many companies on a day to day basis in this area (notably regarding the reorganisation of activities and companies).
A lawyer for more than 30 years, François Coutard joined the law firm in 2000. With Guillaume Bossye, he co-manages a team of 9 lawyers and one jurist dedicated to employment law, dealing with both litigation and non-contentious matters.
He was a lecturer at Paris Dauphine University and regularly runs training courses and conferences, especially for the Law School of the Rhône Alpes Region.

A former expert on the pilot committee "Social Dialogue" of the Young Managers' Centre, he wrote an article on negotiating business agreements which was published in the Liaisons Sociales

Awards & Recognitions
01
  • Quote
    Best Lawyer, Labor and Employment Law
    Best Lawyers 2024
  • Quote
    The Regions - Employment
    Legal 500 EMEA 2019

Relevant experience

  • Lecturer at Paris Dauphine University

Publications

  • Negotiation of company agreements - Éditions sociales

Memberships & Roles

  • Member of the Board of the Lyon Bar association (Conseil de l'Ordre) (2010 to 2015)
  • Former expert and member of the steering committee « Social dialogue » of the Center of Young Leaders (Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants)
  • Member of ACE in Lyon (French association of corporate legal advisors)
  • Elected member of the National bar council (2004)
  • Member of the training and collaboration commission - Representative of the CNB training commission at the "Training Committee" of the CCBE (European bar council)

Education

  • Master in Law
  • Master in Human Sciences
  • Master in Theology
  • Two-year university degree in Philosophy
  • Diploma in law firm management from the Ecole de Management de Lyon
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