Welcome to FamilyLaw

Pascal KOERFER Esq, senior partner at BOULAN KOERFER PERRAULT, PC

BKP firm that provides solutions to your legal problems since 1989 and comprises not lessthan five partners and fifteen fully dedicated associates.

The firm takes advantage of its two equally important offices located at strategic points: may you visit us at the Parisian office along the Champs-Elysées at a stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe or should we be pleased to receive you at the Versailles office facing the Palace, France third most visited tourist attraction, we will greet you with the cardinal virtues that made BKP a success for over two decades: professionalism, competence and solicitude.

At the head of the Family law Department stands Pascal KOERFER, Esq. admitted to the Versailles Bar in 1985 and one of founding partners of the firm.

Alongside the myriad of legal matters traditionally attached to Family law such as divorces, the liquidation of matrimonial propoerty and successions and inheritance, Mister KOERFER also specializes in Commercial Law and International Private Law.

Former member of the Bar Association, currently a board member of the Intercontinental Grouping of Accountants and Lawyers (IGAL), he is also the founding President of ESPACE DROIT, an association which aims at uniting French lawyers bound by common work ethics and a same understanding of the attorney / client relationship.

One could not get a complete picture of Mister KOERFER’s activity only through his litigation work; it is to be noted that he also has a vivid interest in scholarly activities, thus frequently taking part in conferences throughout the world and providing training both in Family and International law.

Pascal KOERFER is pleased to launch the launch of this brand new corporate website entirely dedicated to an international clientele seeking professional and efficient responses to legal issues somewhat linked to the French jurisdiction.

Please feel free to use the contact form below to get in touch with Mister Pascal KOERFER regarding any legal problem. Rest assured that he will promptly get back to you.

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

Li HUANG

Taipei, Taiwan

Mr. KOERFER handled my divorce and I cannot stress enough how pleased I was by the way he carried my case. His work ethics is a tribute to how the job should be done.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

Allen ATWELL

London, UK

The results Mr. KOERFER achieved on my case greatly exceeded what I expected. He constantly kept me informed of the proceedings. His professionalism is unmatched among the other lawyers I had to deal with in my career.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

Fergus O’Reilly

Dublin, Ireland

I came to meet Mr. KOERFER at a rather stressful moment in my life with my previous attorney letting my divorce case drag on. He took over and it was reassuring to be facing someone not pretending but actually listening to me. I commend his human approach to the client / lawyer relationship.

PASCAL KOERFER AREAS OF PRACTICE

FAMILY LAW
- Divorce
- Dissolution of marriage settlements
- Legal separation
- Child custody
CRIMINAL LAW
- Child support payment default
- Non-representation of children
- Domestic violence
INHERITANCE LAW
- Appointments with Notary Public Officers
- Litigation

BKP AREAS OF PRACTICE

FAMILY LAW
- Divorce
- Dissolution of marriage settlements
- Legal separation
- Child custody
- Child support payment default
- Non-representation of children
- Domestic violence
- Appointments with Notary Public Officers
- Litigation
REAL ESTATE LAW
- Commercial lease
- Residential lease
- Construction
- Real estate sales
- Tenancy
- Business assets / goowill
- Urban planning
EMPLOYMENT LAW
- Individual disputes
- Collective disputes
- Social security disputes
- Collective bargaining
- Staff representative bodies
- Dismissal
- Mergers and acquisitions
COMPANY LAW
- Creation of companies
- Corporate acquisitions
- Company sales
- Judicial redress procedures
- Judicial liquidation
- Vivil and commercial contract negociation and drafing

ABOUT ME

PASCAL KOERFER

Lawyer

Be it for counseling or litigation purposes, Pascal KOERFER, specialized in divorce, legal separation, dissolution of marriage settlements and inheritance, stands by your side defending you wherever your home address might be.

Former Secretary of the Conference (Eloquence Contest organized by the Bar), Member of the Bar Association, he is also a member of the board of the IGAL Network (Intercontinental Grouping of Accountants and Lawyers), an association with worldwide representation.

Pascal KOERFER is a member of the board of the IGAL Network (Intercontinental Grouping of Accountants and Lawyers), an association with worldwide representation.

He is a founding partner of BOULAN KOERFER PERRAULT & ASSOCIATES, a Law Firm founded in 1989, with two offices set in Paris and Versailles.

NEWS

Nullity of the mariage for bigamy:

(Cass Civ 1ère 26 octobre 2011 n°10-25.285)

According to the article 189 of the French Civil Code, if the new couple opposed, in a request for annulment of their marriage for bigamy, the nullity of the first marriage, the validity or nullity of this marriage must be judged before, the judge therefore must suspend proceedings pending the decision to intervene on the nullity of first marriage.
Applicable law of the liquidation of the marriage settlement:

(French Supreme court: 4/05/2011, n°10-16.086)

It follows from Article 3 of the French Civil Code the law of the matrimonial regime determines the rules of liquidation, except in cases where the couple agreed otherwise, in their mutual relations, the law governing their matrimonial regime applies to all of their property, without any need to distinguish between personal property and real property.
Applicable law of the marriage settlement:

(French Supreme court: 1/06/2011, n°10-20.232)

It is the responsibility of the French judge who recognizes an applicable foreign law to seek, either automatically or at the request of a party invoking the content, with the assistance of the parties and eventually personally to give to the litigious question the contentious issue a solution in compliance with the foreign substantive law.

FAQS

I am a seventeen year old Mexican girl and I wish to get married with a Frenchman. French law sets the age requirement at eighteen. Is this wedding possible?

In order to comply with the law, marriage has to meet both substance and form requirements, French jurisdictions getting to decide whether one specific condition has to do with the former or the latter.

Legal capacity to contract marriage falls under the substance category. Since the two of you are of different nationality, your ability to consent to a valid marriage shall be considered under the scope of your respective personal statuses. While French statutes sets the minimum age requirement at eighteen, Mexican law clears you at age seventeen, thus allowing you to get legally married in France. Take notice, though, that you will have to provide the Civil Registrar with a certificate of custom.
My French husband just died, leaving me mainly with personal property located on the French soil in my inheritance. Which law shall rule the transfer of assets?

Those movable assets are deemed to be in inheritance at the time and place that your husband died. Therefore, said transfer will be ruled by the law of his last home address.
I am a Swede and I married a French woman, the ceremony took place in Stockholm. Trouble is, my spouse was not physically present at the time of the ceremony because of a major impediment. Is our marriage still considered valid pursuant to French law?

Among the various substance requirements set by French statutes to a valid marriage is the actual attendance to the ceremony. French law specifically claims that such a wedding celebrated abroad with a spouse failing to attend is voidable shall said spouse be a French citizen, as in this case.
I am seriously considering taking my relationship with my French boyfriend to the next level by marrying him. Which law will rule our marriage?

French private international law regarding default matrimonial status is ruled by the Hague Convention, signed March 14, 1978. To that extent, you are allowed beforehand to choose among the following:

- Either your or your husband national law, determined by your personal statuses,

- The law of the country where either of you has his/her permanent home address,

- The law of the country where either of you will have his home address once the wedding is celebrated.

Should you not make any choice, your marriage will be ruled by the law of the country where you will both establish your marital home. In that instance, your soon-to-be husband being French, you would turn out to be married under a community of acquired assets status, pursuant to French law. Keep in mind that you are entitled to amend your choice later on.
My husband and I are both French and we are living in Madrid for professional reasons. Unfortunately, we are on the verge of filing for divorce. Where should a subpoena be issued?

European Community regulation CE # 2001/2003 adopted November 27, 2003, provides specific rules regarding legal venues when it comes to filing for divorce. Under article 3, along with Member States on which soil spouses have their home address, States of spouses citizenship have jurisdiction. Therefore, you are entitled to initiate the proceedings either in France or in Spain, at your convenience.
My wife and I are both American and we are living in Paris. Should we get a divorce, which law will rule its consequences?

European Community regulation UE # 1259/2010 states in its article 8 that shall you not voice a choice as to that matter, applicable statute will be one of the following mutually exclusive laws:

- The law of the country in which you have set your home address at the time you are filing for divorce;

- The law of the country in which you both had your marital home, provided that on the one hand it did not come to an end more than a year before you file for divorce and that on the other hand either of you still has his home address in this country;

- The American law;

- The law in effect in whichever jurisdiction you elect to file in.
We are a married French couple and we seek to adopt a child currently residing on the French soil. However, said child personal status law does not allow adoption. Should we reconsider our plan?

Notwithstanding the child personal status law forbidding adoption, as husband and wife you are entitled by French law to apply for his full adoption, provided he was born and is currently residing on the French territory. Take notice that this operation is contingent on you getting a free and informed consent from said child’s legal representative.
My boyfriend and father to my newly born child has dual citizenship, being both Canadian and French. While away in Canada, he proceeded to acknowledge his paternity by way of an official recognition in Montreal. Does this recognition hold any value in France?

Provided said recognition was conducted in compliance with local Canadian laws, with respect to both substantive and timeframe conditions, it will be granted full authority by French private international law, no further proceedings being necessary for its enforcement.
I am an American residing in the US. My ex-wife lives in Paris with my son. We are in disagreement as to which high school he will attend this coming school year. Before which court should I seek a solution to that parental authority dispute?

Pursuant to article 8 of the European Community regulation CE # 2201/2003, Member States jurisdictions are entitled to know of any dispute regarding parental authority over a child currently residing on their national territory. Thus, you should seek resolution of this dispute before the Paris courts.