Denizeau & Gaborit Avocats is an independent Paris-based law firm serving French-speaking expatriates and international clients across Southeast Asia. Our team combines civil law expertise with hands-on experience of the Malaysian legal system, so you get advice that works in both jurisdictions.
Each lawyer brings a specific focus: cross-border family law, business litigation, succession planning, and contract disputes. We work in French, English, and Malay, and we keep our explanations clear enough for non-specialists.
Gustavo leads our family law practice, handling divorce, child custody, and maintenance cases that span France and Malaysia. He has represented clients in both French tribunals and Malaysian courts, and he regularly publishes procedural guides for expatriate parents.
Angel focuses on commercial disputes, contract enforcement, and debt recovery for small and mid-sized businesses. He has particular experience with bilingual agreements and the recognition of French judgments in Malaysian courts.
Pablo advises on cross-border inheritance, wills, and estate administration. He helps clients understand how French forced heirship rules interact with Malaysian succession law, and he prepares the documentation needed to protect assets in both countries.
Claudia drafts and reviews commercial contracts, with a focus on clear language and enforceable terms. She works closely with clients to resolve ambiguities before they become disputes, and she has written several guides on bilingual contract interpretation.
Julio manages our legal research and editorial output. He tracks court decisions in France and Malaysia, prepares case summaries, and ensures that every article on this site reflects the current state of the law.
We keep the first consultation focused on your situation, not on general theory. Bring any letters from the French consulate, your marriage contract if one exists, and a list of assets held in France or Malaysia. If a document is missing, we tell you before the meeting so you are not blocked later.
Not always. For a simple divorce where both spouses agree on custody and property division, the Malaysian courts can often proceed without a full French judgment. But if there are children or real estate in France, a parallel French procedure is usually unavoidable. We map both tracks in the first meeting.
Start with the notarial deed or the will itself. Then we check whether the deceased owned property in France, because French forced heirship rules apply to immovable assets located there. For movable assets in Malaysia, the local distribution rules may differ. The order of review matters more than people expect.
Yes, but only if the clause is drafted with both legal systems in mind. A simple choice-of-law clause is often enough for a commercial contract. For a marriage contract or a will, we add a forum selection clause and a fallback provision, because Malaysian courts may still assert jurisdiction over local property.
Translation is the first step, but certification is the real requirement. Malaysian courts accept a sworn translation from a certified translator, and the French original must be legalised or apostilled. We usually coordinate both steps with a single notary to avoid delays.
These are the issues that come up most often in our first meetings. If yours is not listed, write to us and we will point you to the right starting point.
What this practice stands for, and how we work with clients who live between two legal systems.