Criminal
defense lawyer
Paris · Marseille
THE TEAM
Armand Feste-Guidon
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER | Paris and Marseille
Armand Feste-Guidon has been practicing exclusively in criminal law for over ten years.
He graduated from Sciences Po Paris (Judicial and Legal Systems master, 2011) and from Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne University (Criminal Law and Criminal Policy master, 2014).
He has lived in Canada and Germany.
Member of the Sciences Po Paris Alumni, of the Criminal Lawyers Association (ADAP) and of the Institute of Financial and Criminal Tax Lax (IDPF2), teaching assistant at Paris II Pantheon-Sorbonne University for several years, he is particularly keen on studying the evolution of criminal law.
Armand Feste-Guidon can assist his clients in French, English or German, which enables it to serve an international clientele, thanks to its Paris office.
Léonie Scheffenbichler
Associate attorney (awaiting swearing-in)
Léonie Scheffenbichler holds a Master’s degree in Economic Law (2022) from Sciences Po Paris and has gained solid experience working with several law firms specialized in criminal law.
Her academic and professional background has also enabled her to develop legal skills in International law and European law.
Léonie Scheffenbichler works in French, German, and English.
EXPERTISE
One concern: the best criminal defence
Feste-Guidon Avocat practice provides its clients – CEOs, French or foreign companies but also individuals – with a defence strategy tailored to suit their needs and based on the extensive review of the case and of the procedure, the full preparatory process and the careful drafting of submissions and final arguments.
It assists its clients, whether they are the defendant or the plaintiff, at all stages of the proceedings (preliminary inquiry, indictment, hearings), throughout the various stages of a police investigation (custody, search) and before all criminal and disciplinary courts, including regulatory authorities.
The firm offers a specific expertise in business criminal law.
Its practice extends to all areas of criminal law (theft, assault, organized crime, etc.) and offers a specific expertise in business criminal law. It especially conducts criminal litigation for companies and/or their executives (workplace accident, concealed employment offences, etc.), public bodies (favouritism, bribery offences, etc.) or medical professionals (social security fraud, unintentional injury offences, etc.).
Feste-Guidon Avocat moreover offers its competence on the emerging field of fiscal criminal law (tax evasion, money laundering, etc.). As such, it works closely with tax law firms in order to ensure a full coordination between criminal and tax matters and to harmonize defence strategies.
The secondary office in Paris offers maximum responsiveness to centralized inquiries.
The practice is also the point of contact in Marseille and in the Région Sud of Jean-Yves Le Borgne, former President of the Paris Bar, and Christian Saint-Palais, President of the Criminal Lawyers (Association des avocats pénalistes – ADAP).
The practice is based in Marseille and has a secondary office in Paris, thus offering maximum responsiveness to centralized inquiries led for example by the Parquet National Financier – the equivalent of the English SFO or the American DOJ – or by the Deputy European Public Prosecutors.
FEES
Legal fees based on
the complexity and/or urgency of cases
The first meeting will see the question of fees addressed in complete transparency. At its client’s request, the firm can offer a quotation of the estimated cost for the legal intervention.
The determination of fees depends on the complexity and/or the urgency of the case. The fees are calculated:
- either on an hourly rate basis, possibly with a ceiling;
- or on a flat-rate basis.
To these may be added unforeseen costs of proceedings (e.g. bailiff costs, expert fees).
After the client’s acceptance of the fee agreement, the firm will be able to provide its assistance; as soon as the case file is opened, the firm will require a retainer fee for the most pressing requests.
Should the client benefit from legal protection, it needs to be remembered that he/she retains over their insurer the ultimate control of the choice of their lawyer.