Version in force as at 9 March 2026
ARTICLE 1 – GENERAL PROVISIONS
HIPPRA Avocats, a law firm registered with the Paris Bar, entered in the Paris Trade and Companies Register (RCS) under number 943 979 690, with its registered office at 19 rue Brochant, 75017 Paris, and the solicitors practising within it, are subject to Law No. 71-1130 of 31 December 1971 (as amended) governing the legal and judicial professions, its implementing regulations, the National Internal Regulations (RIN) of the legal profession, and the specific rules of the Paris Bar.
These General Terms and Conditions of Engagement (GTC) govern all assignments entrusted to HIPPRA Avocats, unless a specific agreement has been expressly concluded with the client. The client is deemed to waive any contrary provision that may, in particular, appear in their general terms and conditions of purchase. No special or conflicting terms and conditions put forward by the client may, unless previously accepted in writing by HIPPRA Avocats, take precedence over the GTC.
HIPPRA Avocats reserves the right to amend the GTC at any time, provided that such amendments shall not affect assignments already in progress on the date they come into force. The fact that HIPPRA Avocats does not, at any given time, rely on any provision of the GTC shall not be construed as a waiver of the right to rely on it at a later date.
ARTICLE 2 – OBLIGATIONS OF HIPPRA AVOCATS
The assignments entrusted to HIPPRA Avocats shall be carried out with competence, independence and integrity, in compliance with the legal and regulatory provisions applicable to the legal profession, as well as the ethical rules in force. It is expressly stated that HIPPRA Avocats is bound by an obligation of means and that no guarantee of a specific result can be given to the client, in particular as regards the outcome of proceedings, the success of the client’s claims and requests, or the success of a transaction.
Before any case is taken on, a systematic check is carried out to ensure there is no conflict of interest, and the client undertakes to inform HIPPRA Avocats without delay of any situation likely to give rise to a conflict of interest.
The lawyers at HIPPRA Avocats are bound by professional secrecy, which is general, absolute and a matter of public policy, in accordance with the legal and ethical provisions in force. Unless expressly stated otherwise, correspondence between lawyers is confidential by nature.
ARTICLE 3 – CLIENT’S OBLIGATIONS
The client undertakes to provide complete, accurate and up-to-date information regarding the facts and circumstances of the case. HIPPRA Avocats shall not be held liable for any information provided by the client that proves to be erroneous, incomplete or inaccurate.
The client’s instructions must be set out or confirmed in writing to be legally binding. The client undertakes to provide all documents and information necessary for the performance of the assignment. Unless otherwise instructed in writing by the client, HIPPRA Avocats is authorised, strictly within the scope of the assignment entrusted to it, to disclose to third parties the documents and information necessary to defend the client’s interests.
ARTICLE 4 – SCOPE OF SERVICES
HIPPRA Avocats provides legal services in areas relating to the activities of companies in the healthcare sector, both nationally and internationally. More specifically, the advisory services provided by HIPPRA Avocats mainly comprise the following:
- legal analyses,
- written consultations,
- drafting of legal documents and contracts,
- assistance with negotiations,
- settlements.
Cases may be handled on a multidisciplinary basis depending on their nature and complexity. The partner in charge of the case may, depending on the technical or geographical requirements of the case, call upon:
- support from the firm’s associates,
- external colleagues,
- of local correspondents or candidates.
The use of external contributors may, where applicable, give rise to separate invoicing, following notification to the client.
Furthermore, HIPPRA Avocats may, as part of the internal management of its cases and to assist with legal research, use artificial intelligence (AI) tools. This use is intended solely to optimise productivity, documentary research, the drafting of memos and the analysis of legal data. The use of these AI tools is carried out in strict compliance with professional secrecy, ethical obligations and the applicable rules on the protection of personal data. No confidential or sensitive information relating to HIPPRA Avocats’ clients will be disclosed to external AI tools without express prior authorisation. Data transmitted to AI systems is anonymised beforehand where possible. Outputs or suggestions generated by AI do not constitute legal advice and do not engage the firm’s liability. The firm’s lawyers remain solely responsible for the legal analysis, validation and use of the information derived from these tools. The firm undertakes to monitor developments in the AI technologies used and to put in place control procedures to guarantee the security, confidentiality and reliability of the results produced.
Processing times depend on the complexity and scope of the assignment. In the event of an emergency, the client must expressly notify HIPPRA Avocats to enable the firm to take all necessary measures to ensure a swift and appropriate response, in accordance with its professional obligations.
ARTICLE 5 – FEES
Fees are agreed by mutual consent with the client and expressed in euros excluding VAT, plus VAT at the applicable rate. Unless otherwise agreed, they are calculated on a time-spent basis, at an hourly rate communicated to the client in advance and which varies according to the status, experience and specialisation of the lawyer involved.
Cost estimates provided to the client are purely indicative and do not constitute a firm commitment on the part of the firm. They are subject to change, particularly in the event of unforeseen difficulties, new developments, or additional requests from the client. A success fee may be agreed in writing, in accordance with the rules of professional conduct. Should the firm withdraw from the case after the desired outcome has been achieved, the success fee remains payable provided the stipulated conditions are met.
Advance payments may be requested prior to the commencement of any work. Should an advance payment or an invoice not be settled by the due date, HIPPRA Avocats reserves the right to suspend the performance of its instructions, after having informed the client.
Expenses (travel, accommodation, meals) and disbursements (court registry fees, bailiffs, court clerks, administrative formalities, taxes) are invoiced separately, subject to supporting documentation. These may be covered by an advance payment or paid directly by the client.
Invoices are issued either upon completion of the assignment or periodically as work progresses, and are payable on receipt by bank transfer to the account details shown on the invoice. Any delay in payment exceeding thirty (30) days shall, as of right and without prior notice, give rise to the payment of interest at a rate of three (3) times the statutory interest rate, as well as a fixed compensation for recovery costs, the amount of which, set by decree, is forty (40) euros, without prejudice to any other action.
ARTICLE 6 – TERMINATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The assignment shall end, in particular:
- upon completion of the transaction or the objective for which the adviser was engaged,
- upon the client’s express agreement,
- by decision of the lawyer, in accordance with the applicable rules of professional conduct.
Either party may terminate the engagement at any time, subject to one (1) month’s notice, unless there is a serious breach by the other party justifying immediate termination.
From the effective end of the assignment, HIPPRA Avocats shall be released from any further obligations. Financial obligations and provisions relating to intellectual property shall continue to apply after the end of the assignment. Fees, costs and disbursements due shall remain payable.
Files and documents entrusted to the firm in connection with the assignment shall be retained for five (5) years from the end of the assignment, unless otherwise specifically agreed with the client.
ARTICLE 7 – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Documents and deliverables produced by HIPPRA Avocats in the course of the assignment (consultations, contracts, legal opinions, notes, memoranda, supporting materials, etc.) are protected by copyright and remain the exclusive property of HIPPRA Avocats, unless the rights are expressly assigned in writing. Subject to full payment of the fees due, the client is granted a non-exclusive right of use, limited to their internal and professional needs, for the statutory term of protection and worldwide. Any reproduction, adaptation, distribution, disclosure to third parties or commercial exploitation is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of HIPPRA Avocats.
The names, trade marks and logos of HIPPRA Avocats are also protected. Any reproduction or use without prior written authorisation is prohibited and constitutes an infringement.
ARTICLE 8 – PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA
Each party undertakes to comply with the applicable regulations whenever personal data is exchanged in the course of the assignment.
In particular, HIPPRA Avocats undertakes to process personal data relating to the client and arising from the assignment in accordance with the regulations in force concerning the protection of personal data, and in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and the French Act No. 78-17 of 6 January 1978, known as the ‘Data Protection Act’ (as amended).
The client’s identification details (including surname, first name, job title and contact details) are collected in order to be able to contact the client in the context of their collaboration with HIPPRA Avocats (in particular to send proposals for legal assistance, fee agreements, invoices, etc.) and to comply with applicable legislation (for example, in relation to taxation, duties and accounting). Personal data collected and processed in the course of the assignment are used exclusively to enable HIPPRA Avocats to provide its advisory services, to prepare legal analyses tailored to the client’s situation and to best safeguard the client’s interests. The personal data processed by HIPPRA Avocats is, in principle, collected directly from the client, obtained from publicly available sources, or provided by the various parties involved in the proceedings or the assignment. The legal basis for the collection and use of such data is Article 6(b) of the GDPR, ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the data subject’s request prior to entering into a contract’, or Article 6(f) of the GDPR, ‘processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued’. HIPPRA Avocats may need to transfer the client’s personal data to its technical or authorised processors (accounting software, IT systems, etc.) who process the data on its behalf and in accordance with its instructions. HIPPRA Avocats retains personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the above purposes, but for no longer than five (5) years following the end of the assignment or for the period provided for by the applicable legal and regulatory provisions.
Subject to certain exceptions and restrictions provided for by applicable legislation, the client has the right of access, the right to object, the right to rectification, the right to erasure or restriction of processing, the right to data portability, and the right to set out instructions regarding the fate of the data after death. Any data subject has the right to lodge a complaint with the CNIL. For any enquiries regarding the protection of personal data or to exercise your rights, please write to the following address: contact@hippra-avocats.com.
ARTICLE 9 – DISPUTES
Any dispute relating to fees or the performance of the assignment shall be referred to the President of the relevant Bar Association, in accordance with Article 175 of Decree No. 91-1197 of 27 November 1991.
Furthermore, non-professional clients may refer the matter to the National Consumer Ombudsman for the legal profession (Contact the Ombudsman – Consumer Ombudsman for Lawyers). Before referring the matter to the Ombudsman, the client, as a consumer, must ensure that they have first attempted to resolve the dispute directly with the lawyer by means of a written complaint in accordance with the procedures set out, where applicable, in the fee agreement, and that they are within the time limit for referral. The consumer client has a maximum period of one (1) year from the date of the written complaint sent to the lawyer to refer the matter to the Consumer Ombudsman.