J'ai fait appel à Maître Uzan dans le cadre d'une procédure fiscale longue et techniquement complexe. Analyse rigoureuse du dossier, réponses précises dans des délais parfois très courts, et surtout une vraie capacité à maintenir un dialogue constructif avec l'administration plutôt qu'à durcir inutilement les positions.
Il a pris le temps de m'expliquer chaque étape et les options possibles, sans jargon et sans promesses excessives. Le dossier s'est conclu par une issue négociée.
Un accompagnement sérieux, du premier échange jusqu'au suivi complet de l'exécution. Je recommande sans réserve.
How I work
By Marc Uzan, French tax lawyer in Paris
How I work
You have a tax matter with a foreign dimension and you wonder how things actually go with a lawyer. Here is how a case unfolds with me, from the first email to the end of the engagement, and the two choices that shape my practice.
Two choices, made a long time ago
To give my clients a high level of quality, I made two decisions I have never departed from.
01
I work alone
No partner, no associate, no trainee. The whole service is provided from start to finish by me alone, never by anyone else: the analysis, the written work, the exchanges with the tax authorities, the negotiation, the appeals. You have a single point of contact, the person who knows your file in detail.
02
I only take on cases that match my practice
I concentrate on the core of my practice, a few precise subjects I have handled for years: foreign accounts, international inheritances, RSUs and stock options, the impatriate regime, foreign-income tax returns, and defence in the event of a tax audit. This focus lets me bring solid skill and experience to every engagement. If a request falls outside this scope, I tell you at the first exchange.
How a case unfolds, step by step
From the first message to the outcome, nothing starts without your agreement, and at every stage you know where your file stands.
01
You write to me
The simplest way is to describe your situation by email, at muzan@uzan-avocat.fr or through the site's form; you can also call me. I reply myself, within 24 working hours. If I need further information before the consultation, I tell you.
02
The consultation
Up to one hour, by video call, by phone or at the office: €250 including VAT. You set out your situation and your questions. I analyse the elements and give you my opinion, orally, on the possible options, the next steps and the cost of an engagement. In some cases, the consultation is enough.
03
The engagement proposal
If an engagement is useful, I propose a fixed fee: a set amount, announced before any work, recorded in a written fee agreement, as the rules of the profession require. The €250 of the consultation is deducted from this fee.
04
Getting started
The engagement starts as soon as you agree, with a 50% deposit. I tell you which documents I need; they are exchanged by email, wherever you live. No additional fee is charged without your prior agreement.
05
The work
Analysis, tax returns, replies to the tax authorities, negotiation, claims or appeals: I handle them personally, in French or in English. Exchanges take place by video call, by email and by phone. I keep you informed at every stage, without your having to chase me.
06
The outcome and what follows
Return filed, reply sent to the tax authorities, negotiated agreement, decision obtained: I explain what it changes for you and what remains, where applicable, to be done in the following years. You leave with a clear situation.
My way of handling a case
My clients consult me at every stage: before taking action, after a letter from the tax authorities, in the middle of an audit or after a mistake. Here is what my experience has taught me, and the way I conduct each case.
01
Documents first
In a new case, the first thing I check is the documents: returns filed, letters from the tax authorities, statements, contracts. This is a very important point: the analysis and the strategy flow from them.
02
No more royalist than the king
This is the advice I give almost all my clients. Under stress, people tend to say too much, do too much, and anticipate the tax authorities’ questions to show they are above board. In my experience, it is generally more effective to move forward step by step, answering exactly and precisely what is asked, without providing more information or documents than necessary, which obviously does not mean hiding anything. Overreacting is often a mistake.
03
A cordial relationship with the tax authorities
In writing, by phone or in meetings, my exchanges with the tax authorities are cordial and respectful, in a spirit of mutual understanding. I play the game, without overplaying it. In my experience, the departments concerned then generally prove accommodating, without excessive formalism, and open to discussion.
04
Negotiating, almost every time
I attempt a negotiation almost every time: there is rarely anything to lose, and often a great deal to gain. In my practice, the vast majority of cases, around nine out of ten, are settled directly with the tax authorities; I only take a case to court when the tax authorities’ position seems to me genuinely questionable and the arguments are solid. These are orders of magnitude, which do not prejudge the outcome of a given case.
05
Realistic timeframes
As a general rule, a regularisation takes four to twelve months and an audit six to twelve months, depending on the size of the case and the department concerned; litigation before the court takes around two and a half years. For replies to the tax authorities, I like to get ahead rather than wait until the last minute.
06
An objective view
Worry is normal: most of my clients are worried when they contact me. My role is to remain objective about their situation, to explain the options to them clearly and, when the situation is serious, to tell them so.
Remotely, in France or abroad
The office is in Paris, but most of my cases are handled without my clients having to travel.
By video call and by email
A meeting at the office, 3 rue Geoffroy-Marie (Paris 9th), is possible but rarely necessary: I work by video conference, by email and by phone.
For a client living abroad, nothing changes: exchanges and documents go through the same channels.
In French or in English
Meetings, written exchanges and all the work can be done in French or in English, from the first email to the submissions addressed to the tax authorities.
A single, responsive point of contact
I reply myself, quickly, and I keep you informed of every stage. Everything you entrust to me is covered by professional secrecy, from the first exchange.
Fees, in plain terms
- The consultation: up to one hour, €250 including VAT, by video call, by phone or at the office. If an engagement follows, this €250 is deducted from its amount.
- The engagement: a fixed fee, that is, a set amount announced before the work begins and subject to your agreement, in a written fee agreement. A 50% deposit is paid at the start, the balance at the end of the engagement. No additional fee is charged without your prior agreement.
- Why I do not publish fee ranges: from one case to the next, the work required varies enormously, depending on the number of years involved, the countries concerned, the documents available and what the tax authorities have already initiated. A range would be so wide that it would tell you nothing. I prefer to give you, after the consultation, a precise and final figure.
Before writing to me: what helps
A few lines are enough. It is useful to indicate:
- your situation in a few words: countries concerned, nature of the income, accounts or assets involved, years concerned;
- what you have already received from the tax authorities, if anything, with the dates: a request for information, a proposed adjustment or a formal notice generally come with short reply deadlines, and it is better to mention it in your first message;
- the questions you are asking yourself.
There is no need to send me all your documents at this stage: if I need documents before the consultation, I tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Who will handle my case?
I will, from the first email to the end of the engagement. I have no associate and no trainee: nobody else works on your file, and you have a single point of contact.
How quickly do you reply?
Within 24 working hours, and I reply myself. If your message mentions a deadline set by the tax authorities, tell me at the first exchange: the time limits for replying to a proposed adjustment or a request for information are generally short.
Do I need to come to the office?
No. A meeting at the office is possible but rarely necessary: the consultation and the whole engagement can take place by video call, by email and by phone, whether you live in France or abroad.
Can you work in English?
Yes. The consultation, the exchanges and all the work can be done in English as well as in French.
How much does the first consultation cost, and is it deducted?
€250 including VAT for a consultation of up to one hour. If an engagement follows, this €250 is deducted from the fixed fee of the engagement.
How are the fees for an engagement set?
As a fixed fee: a set amount, announced before the work begins and recorded in a written fee agreement. A 50% deposit is paid at the start. No additional fee is charged without your prior agreement. I do not publish ranges, because they would be too wide to inform you: the precise figure is given to you after the consultation.
Do you take on every case?
No: I only take on cases that match my practice and my experience, so that I act each time with solid skill. If your request falls outside this scope, I tell you at the first exchange.
I am also sometimes asked to approve or comment on schemes relying on companies abroad, in Estonia or the Emirates for example, often discovered on TikTok or YouTube. In the cases presented to me, these schemes no longer fell, in my view, within tax optimisation: they went well beyond it, and I cannot assist with these projects.
How long does a case take?
As a general rule, four to twelve months for a regularisation and six to twelve months for an audit, depending on the size of the case and the department concerned, and around two and a half years for litigation before the court. These are orders of magnitude observed in my practice: each case has its own pace.
What should I prepare before writing to you?
A description of your situation in a few lines, any letters received from the tax authorities with their dates, and your questions. Documents come later, if I need them before the consultation.
Are my exchanges with you confidential?
Yes. Everything you entrust to your lawyer is covered by professional secrecy, from the first exchange. The information in the form is used only to reply to your request.
Describe your situation to me
Write to me at muzan@uzan-avocat.fr or through the form below, or call +33 1 83 64 34 03: I reply myself, within 24 working hours. To learn more about my background, see the page The Firm.
