Criminal Law

Under the leadership of Bâtonnier (Bar Association President) Pierre-Olivier Sur and Mathias Chichportich, FTMS Business Criminal Law & Public Liberties Department comprises a dedicated team of seven lawyers.

The Department’s expertise stems from the diverse and complementary skills of its team, tackling a full spectrum of criminal issues in political, economic and social contexts. Pierre-Olivier Sur’s experience as President of the Paris Bar Association brings an additional layer of expertise to the team, enhancing its ability to intervene in international cases, major public liberties issues and disciplinary litigation.

FTMS Criminal Law Department specialises in the following areas:

– Ethics and Integrity in Business and Public Affairs: FTMS assists companies, executives, as well as French and foreign public officials in cases of corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, tax fraud and violations of public procurement rules.

– Corporate Criminal Law: FTMS assists companies and executives accused or victims of accounting, financial or stock market offences (such as misappropriation of corporate assets, breach of trust, market abuse).

– Labor, Public Health and Environmental Criminal Law: FTMS assists companies and executives in cases of involuntary manslaughter and injuries, endangerment of lives, harassment, undeclared work, fraud, offences against public health and pollution.

– International Criminal Law: FTMS assists both victims and suspects of international and transnational crimes (such as crimes against humanity and war crimes) as well as human rights violations (including torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance). It also handles extradition matters, especially pertaining to Interpol Red Notices and European Arrest Warrants.

– Compliance and Internal Investigations: FTMS assists its clients in achieving compliance with the Sapin 2 Law, Duty of Vigilance Law, and French Anti-Corruption Agency inspections. The Department also assists corporate entities and executives in conducting meticulous internal investigations and implementing precaution measures to mitigate the risk of criminal litigation.

– Reputation Protection: FTMS safeguards its clients’ reputation in cases of defamation, invasion of privacy, violation of the presumption of innocence, and the right to be forgotten. It also provides crisis communication services to its clients in the context of high-profile or sensitive litigation matters, in collaboration with specialized communication agencies.