Criminal Defense

SOLARIS AVOCATS represents companies including banking and financial institutions and insurance companies, as well as their directors and shareholders, across all areas of business criminal law. Our lawyers regularly advise corporations and their directors and employees, whether as defendants or victims, in cases involving misuse of corporate assets, breach of trust, fraud, or false accounting.

The Firm also offers extensive expertise in corruption matters, whether involving alleged bribery of French, foreign, or international public officials, private sector corruption, or influence peddling.

SOLARIS AVOCATS handles sensitive matters in criminal tax law and customs law, representing companies, their executives, and individuals facing prosecution or investigation for tax or customs offenses.

Our lawyers provide criminal defense in cases involving failure to file tax returns, tax fraud, money laundering of tax proceeds, as well as smuggling, illegal import or export, and violations of customs regulations.

The firm supports clients at every stage: during customs inspections or searches (home visits), in preliminary investigations or judicial inquiries, and before criminal courts.

Our expertise extends to negotiations with the Public Prosecutor’s office or customs authorities, management of corporate criminal risk (compliance), and protecting our clients’ reputation in the face of media or institutional exposure.

We act proactively to anticipate the criminal consequences of tax audits or customs disputes, and to develop tailored, effective defense strategies.

SOLARIS AVOCATS handles cybercrime and payment fraud matters, both defending businesses and supporting them when they fall victim to attacks on their information systems.

These offenses take various forms:

• Fraudulent use of credit cards
• Embezzlement
• Identity theft
• Online scams
• CEO fraud (business email compromise)
• Attacks on automated data processing systems

The firm regularly assists clients in managing the criminal, economic, and reputational consequences of these offenses, providing support to:

• File effective complaints and pursue legal remedies
• Navigate criminal investigations or judicial inquiries
• Coordinate with relevant authorities (judicial police, cyber prosecutor’s office, CNIL, ANSSI)

SOLARIS AVOCATS also has particular expertise in matters involving:

• Trade secrets protection
• Industrial cyber-espionage
• Implementation of legal cybersecurity strategies and crisis management

SOLARIS AVOCATS handles online harassment cases, including cyberbullying, threats, privacy violations, and defamation on social media.

We represent both victims and defendants in criminal proceedings related to digital content, working with platforms, judicial authorities, and addressing online reputation concerns.

SOLARIS AVOCATS practices banking and financial criminal law, with particular expertise in criminal liability of financial institutions, money laundering, securities offenses, and regulatory compliance violations.

We represent banks, investment firms, insurance companies, and executives involved in criminal or administrative proceedings, particularly before the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority), ACPR (French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority), and the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF).

The firm also handles cases involving unauthorized practice of regulated activities, illegal financial solicitation, misleading commercial practices, and financial fraud.

We guide clients through judicial agreements in the public interest (CJIP – similar to Deferred Prosecution Agreements), from negotiation through pre-agreement compliance and post-agreement monitoring, working closely with relevant authorities.

Special attention is given to reputation protection, crisis management, and securing internal procedures in what are often sensitive, high-profile matters.

SOLARIS AVOCATS represents employers, executives, and legal representatives facing criminal prosecution for employment law violations. We handle cases involving undeclared work, workplace harassment (moral or sexual), discrimination, and workplace accidents resulting in injury or death.

We also intervene in investigations for unintentional offenses, particularly cases of endangering the lives of others or gross negligence, to secure defense strategy from the investigation or judicial inquiry stage.

Our lawyers represent clients at all stages of proceedings, from investigation to trial, and assist with risk prevention, internal compliance, and management of administrative inspections.

SOLARIS AVOCATS is particularly recognized for its expertise in general criminal law. Our team brings together experienced criminal defense lawyers regularly handling common criminal matters, both in magistrates’ courts and crown courts.

We defend accused persons and represent civil parties at all stages of proceedings: police custody, investigation, trial, and sentencing modifications. The firm also provides emergency criminal defense services, appearing before multiple criminal courts in this capacity.

As part of its pro bono commitments, SOLARIS AVOCATS also supports non-profit organizations and handles cases with significant human or social dimensions.