The question behind the question
"I don't speak French. Can I really sue a company in France?" is rarely a question about language for its own sake — it is a question about control. Creditors picture a procedure they cannot read, hearings they cannot follow, and a lawyer they cannot fully instruct. None of that matches how a French B2B debt recovery file actually runs.
French court proceedings — filings, hearings, judgments — are conducted in French, as a matter of law. That is true whether you speak French or not, because it is your attorney, not you, who reads, writes and speaks French throughout the case. Your side of the relationship runs entirely in English.
What actually has to happen in French — and who does it
Every substantive step of a French court case is carried out in French: the claim itself, the written submissions exchanged between lawyers, the hearing before the judge, and the judgment. That is not a formality that can be waived; it is how the French judicial system operates, for French and foreign litigants alike.
The point that gets lost is that none of it requires your French. As explained in instructing a French lawyer without travelling to France, your attorney holds full authority to act on your behalf without any additional authorisation from you. Drafting, filing, arguing at the hearing and dealing with the court's registry — all of it is the firm's job, in French, while every communication with you happens in your own language.
What is in French
Court filings, the hearing before the tribunal de commerce, the judgment, and any exchanges with the commissaire de justice enforcing it.
What is in your language
Every email, call and case update between you and the firm; the strategy discussion; the fee agreement can be discussed and explained in English before you sign.
Do you need to attend a hearing?
In a standard B2B debt case there is normally no reason for you to attend at all — there is no witness examination, and your attorney argues the case in your absence. If you do choose to attend, hearings before French commercial courts are public, and nothing prevents you from bringing your own interpreter for your personal understanding. That interpreter has no procedural role: they are there for you, not for the court.
Where a foreign party's own testimony genuinely becomes necessary — unusual in a straightforward unpaid-invoice matter — the court can arrange for an interpreter itself. This is the exception, not the starting assumption for the kind of case this firm handles.
What about your documents?
Contracts, invoices, correspondence and other evidence you hold in English (or another language) are generally usable as-is at the outset of a file. Whether a specific document needs a certified French translation depends on which procedure is used and what stage the case reaches — a question of case management, not something you need to resolve yourself in advance. We cover exactly what that involves, and when it arises, in preparing your foreign documents for a French court.
Frequently asked questions
No. Your attorney handles every French-language step of the case. You communicate with the firm in English throughout, from the first email to the final transfer of recovered funds.
The documents themselves are in French, as required for anything filed with a French court. Your attorney explains their content and implications to you in English at each stage, so you always know where the case stands.
Yes. All correspondence with the firm — routine updates and urgent requests alike — is handled in English.
No. That correspondence goes to your attorney, who reads and responds to it in French as a matter of course, then reports back to you in English. It is an ordinary part of running the file, not an obstacle you face directly.
Not at all — hearings are public and you are welcome to attend. It changes nothing about the outcome and is never required; most clients never attend and follow the case entirely through their attorney.
No. Fees and timelines are the same regardless of what language you speak — see timelines and costs. The only added item, when it arises, is certified translation of a specific document, which is planned for rather than a surprise.
Related guides
Tell us about your case
Outline your situation — Maître Bensimhon will reply personally within 1 business hour.
Reply within 1 business hour