Once reserved exclusively for crimes against people and property, criminal law has gradually been extended over the last few decades to cover all human activities. Our skilled criminal lawyers handle all cases with rigour and meticulousness, providing strategic solutions to your legal problems.
Criminal liability in all areas
Today, no player in any field of activity is immune from potential criminal liability: criminal liability of executives, local government representatives, senior administrative officials, doctors, firefighters, hospital workers, heads of associations, etc. In each of the areas concerned, we combine our knowledge of criminal law and procedure with our knowledge of the subject in question.
Corporate criminal law
The workings and internal life of a company can be, and increasingly is, subject to criminal law: moral or sexual harassment, occupational accidents, gross negligence, the illegal lending of labour, bargaining, endangering the lives of others – these are all offences that may one day be brought against a company executive or his or her managers. Defending companies and their managers in these matters requires in-depth knowledge of employment law and its criminal ramifications.
Laura TETTI and Denis FERRE defend companies in these matters. These two business-orientated lawyers, in charge of the employment and social protection department, also provide training to raise awareness and educate company executives about criminal risks, police custody, open hearings, etc.
Business criminal law
The press regularly reports on developments in criminal business law. What is commonly referred to as “white collar crime” is the focus of particular attention from public authorities and judges, which has led to the creation of specialised divisions, notably in Marseille.
The financial division brings together all the specialised magistrates, in liaison with the financial brigade, and investigates the most sensitive cases.
The most common offences prosecuted are misuse of corporate assets, embezzlement, tax fraud, money laundering, tax fraud laundering, tax evasion and competition offences.
These cases are often extremely technical and complex, requiring knowledge of business law, accounting, taxation, and sometimes public law.
This is why we work with David CUSINATO on competition, contracts, and corporate law, and with Sylvain PONTIER on offences relating to public procurement, public property, and environmental regulations.
General criminal law
In a more traditional way, we also provide assistance to people who are confronted with a common law offence, whether as defendants or as victims.
This area covers a very wide range of offences, from traffic accidents to property offences (theft, fraud, damage, breach of trust) and attacks on individuals: manslaughter, abuse of weakness, psychological or sexual harassment, violence, threats, invasion of privacy, etc.
For many years, we have been assisting defendants in these matters, as well as victims, to whom we pay particular attention.
As such, we assist them before the Commission d’indemnisation des victimes d’infractions (“Commission for the Compensation of Victims of Offences”) (CIVI).
Criminal health law
Acts of care, prevention, diagnosis, and rescue have been at the heart of criminal proceedings for several decades now.
Initially, doctors were implicated, then all healthcare staff, then fire brigades and lastly the CENTRES 15.
The firm, through Maître Sylvain PONTIER and Maître Bruno ZANDOTTI, regularly appears before criminal courts to defend healthcare staff or legal entities and to represent victims.
For example, the firm defended the families of the six Loriol firefighters killed by a hit-and-run driver on the A8 motorway in 2002. Sylvain PONTIER also defended Ms Danièle CANARELLI in what has been described as the “trial of psychiatry in France”. The firm is also involved in public health cases.
In this capacity, it took part in the PIP prostheses trial and is currently representing several hundred victims in the Volkswagen affair, for which a website has been set up to bring victims together.
Military criminal law
The firm also appears before the courts specialising in military criminal law.
Marseille’s criminal courts have specific jurisdiction in criminal matters and, as such, operate a military prosecution office
As such, this court deals with specific military offences for the southern region.
Maritime criminal law
Under the maritime criminal law reform, which was introduced in 2012, a specialised maritime court has been set up for each of France’s seaboards.
The Marseille Maritime Court has jurisdiction over the entire Mediterranean coastline. It is made up of professional judges and assessors from the maritime world. It has jurisdiction over offences committed at sea.
It judges offences relating to the rules of sea traffic, whether involving the merchant navy or leisure boating (collision, speeding), but also offences relating to safety on board and port operations.
Pollution at sea, a major concern, is dealt with by the specialised coastal jurisdiction.
Our lawyers specialising in criminal law are available to advise you strategically, regardless of your business sector, and to support you throughout every stage of the legal processin Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Montpellier, Nice, Nîmes and Paris.
