A French-American law firm in Paris
Your legal bridge between France and the U.S.
Who we are:
Avocat Grégoire (Attorney Grégoire or “AG”) is a French-American law firm based in Paris dedicated to assisting individuals with their legal matters in France.
Our bilingual team, fluent in English and French, provides each client with expert guidance, tailored support, and highly personalized, reliable assistance throughout the entire process.
Our values:
Our mission:
Our mission is to serve as a legal bridge between France and the U.S. We are here to help you become a French citizen, immigrate to France, or to assist you in the resolution of a family member’s estate in France. In all our practice areas, our Managing Attorney, Julia Grégoire, and her team will help you navigate these challenges with the utmost experience, transparency, and integrity. Born in France and raised in America, Attorney Grégoire’s dual French and American cultural background make her well-suited to advise American and Anglophone clients in particular.
Are you a foreigner seeking to move to France? The descendant of French citizens? A French citizen living abroad? Work with a Franco-American lawyer today for French citizenship, French immigration, or French estate matters.
We work closely with an extensive team of experts across a number of fields in France including real estate agents, tax attorneys, court-approved translators, and French notaires which enhances our team’s efficient assistance to you. We are experienced in dealing with Court and Préfecture offices and are committed to guiding you throughout your processes from beginning to end.
Areas of practice
When I reached out to Julia and her team, I had already tried to find a solution to become a French citizen but it felt daunting. Turned out, my hubby and I had done nothing to help my case but with deep patience across 3 governments and their bureaucracy, Julia Grégoire has made my dream of becoming a naturalized French citizen come true!
Detailed instructions each step of the way, each dossier carefully put together - I am excited to announce I will be sworn in this September! (Or whatever the French do in that ceremony) I am deeply grateful and I highly recommend Julia and her team for your complex French immigration needs!
We are based in the U.S. and initially tried to do everything by ourselves during Covid quarantine when many vital records offices were closed. However, there were so many steps to the process, and due to sometimes encountering confusing and conflicting instructions on the French consulates' websites in the US, it soon became clear that we needed a lawyer.
And in walked Julia and her team! She walked us through every step in a clear and timely manner, and always with so much care, respect, and great energy. She handled the process of requesting vital records, and obtaining the necessary, and slow process of apostille, on both the French and US side.
I truly believe the success with my citizenship application, and with my son's passport and CNF application, would not have come together as relatively quickly as they did without her help! There is no way we would have put my application dossier together the way that she did, which ensured a really smooth process.
She counseled us in preparation for my consulate interview, and even after receiving notice of French citizenship, she continued helping us get to the finish line by having her office handle the logistics of making an appointment for me to get my French passport at the consulate, and putting the application together for that as well.
She even responded to a few official consulate questions as part of my application, on my behalf and of course with my permission. You really will not regret working with her, and when it comes to your citizenship application, you really should! Please do not try and do it by yourself. Working with Julia and her team is worth the investment!
Please note: We started working with Julia in February 2023, and continued working with her through the logistical finish line up until May 2024.
Our team is fully bilingual and can speak French or English with you at your first no-cost consultation.
Julia Grégoire
Attorney-at-Law
Born in France and raised in America, Julia Grégoire is a French-American lawyer admitted to practice law in France (Paris) and the U.S. (New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island). She is a graduate of Brown University and Boston University Law School and studied French law at the Ecole du Pré-Barreau in Paris.
Our team
Attorney/legal fees
Upon the first meeting with the firm, fees are set by mutual agreement with
the client and are detailed in an engagement letter.
Billing methods
Fees can be set in two ways:
- Hourly rate (time spent): services are billed on the basis of a predefined hourly rate. The time spent on your case (consultations, research, drafting of documents, exchanges with the parties, etc.) is recorded in a precise and detailed manner.
- Flat rate (fixed rate): a fixed lump sum is agreed in advance for a specific assignment (issuance of a CNF, visa, passport, etc.).
Payment methods
- Fees may be paid in installments, according to a schedule agreed upon with the client.
- A deposit is generally required when the case is opened in order to begin work on the case.
- Payments may be made by bank transfer
Additional costs
The client will be informed of any additional costs that may arise.
Fees do not include external costs (notary fees, apostille fees, translation fees, etc.), which are payable by the client and paid directly to the relevant service providers.
Nonetheless, thanks to our extensive network of partners working in these fields, AG will facilitate work that needs to be done by outside providers (for example, court-approved translators in France) by obtaining quotes for our clients, transferring documents to providers, and providing a payment link for that additional service. AG’s goal is to handle as much of the process as possible so that the client’s responsibility is minimized.
An apostille is an official certification that confirms the authenticity of the signature, stamp, or seal affixed to a public document. It allows that document to be legally recognized internationally in all countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961.
For French citizenship procedures, certain authorities require that foreign documents (such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, court judgments, diplomas, etc.) be apostilled before being used in France.
Our firm advises you as to the documents on which an apostille is necessary, ensuring that your documents are valid for submission to the French administration.
A sworn translation (also called a certified translation) is a translation carried out by a translator approved by a French Court of Appeals. This professional, also known as a judicial expert translator, is authorized to certify that the translation is a true and accurate rendering of the original document.
French authorities require this type of translation for any official foreign document, particularly for French citizenship applications, as well as for French estate matters involving documents written in a foreign language.
Our firm works closely with sworn translators and will facilitate obtaining translations that comply with French legal standards for your applications.
For many applications, including French citizenship applications by descent and by marriage, French authorities require vital records (birth, marriage, or death certificates) to have been recently-issued. The legal requirement is generally that French vital records be issued less than three months prior to your application submission and that other foreign vital records be issued less than six months prior to your application submission.
Articles
Exceptional procedure for French naturalization under the Article 21-21 of the Civil Code: how did George Clooney become a French citizen?
1. Article 21-21 of the Civil Code Article 21-21 of the Civil Code refers to an exceptional procedure for French naturalization by decree “on...
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What is a long-stay visitor visa?
You may wish to move to France temporarily or permanently, for personal or family-related reasons, or simply to experience life in France, if you...
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The loss of French citizenship for French women naturalized between 1945 and 1973
Legislative history The French Citizenship Code stipulated that “adult French citizens who voluntarily acquire a foreign citizenship shall lose their French citizenship.”[1] While French...
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Notice of change to language requirement for French citizenship by marriage and naturalization applications
To become a French citizen through marriage, the applicant’s application is subject to several legal conditions. To be eligible, the applicant must meet the...
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French citizenship by marriage
Avocat Grégoire has helped many clients become French citizens through their marriage to a French citizen. This Valentine’s Day, we consider the story of...
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