NLBC: Interview with Carbonnier Lamaze Rasle & Associés

Meet Alban Curral partner in charge of the economic law department of the law firm Carbonnier Lamaze Rasle.
CARLARA is a multidisciplinary business law firm with an international presence to assist Clients in all their projects wherever they are located. We assist French and foreign companies with advice as well as in litigation in France and abroad.

1 - What has been the biggest challenge for the development of CARLARA in France and how did you overcome it?

Bringing together specialists in order to offer a virtually full service dedicated to companies, both in terms of advice and litigation.

This requires finding not only lawyers who are competent in complementary fields but also people who are willing to work together and not only under the same roof.

We continue to bring in colleagues to achieve this goal: it’s a process.

2 - Could you tell us a bit more about your link to the Netherlands Business Council France?

I was contacted by Willemijn Berenschot because of my international profile: I studied and worked abroad. Today, I work in Paris and Brussels, for French and international Clients, and my cases concern France, Europe and other regions of the world (mainly the United States, the Middle East and Asia).

I guess Willemijn saw me as an ideal partner for the NLBC, as I am used to advising foreign clients.

Since then, we have organized a webinar on e-commerce in France and I try to communicate on French regulatory news of interest to NLBC members.

3- What are you currently looking for?

As I told Anouk Zoet and Maarten de Bruijn, I have three objectives: networking, assisting Dutch companies to develop their business in France and, finally, getting new clients. In that order! A win-win!

4- What would your advice be to entrepreneurs thinking of starting a business in France?

As I mentioned during the webinar I hosted for the NLBC, the Netherlands and France are not so far apart: the Dutch and the French are European, the countries are both EU member states and share many of the same regulations. However, mentalities and some laws may be different. Though the Netherlands and France somehow share the same Civil code, let us not forget that the European Union only dates from 1992.

For this reason, like one of my Dutch Clients who recently wanted to cross the border and set up in France, I recommend taking the time to prepare their development in France, using the necessary specialists, including lawyers who are familiar with French law, to ensure that their project complies with local regulations.