As any decent cross-border lawyer will know: compliance with local law will only get you so far if you don’t also respect the local culture. 

With more than three decades of experience, Laurence Renard, head of Simmons & Simmons’ international employment group, is an expert at guiding multinational clients through the complexities and frustrations of the French legal landscape – as well as French cultural norms. Wo betide those who ignore her expert advice.

The myth is that you can never do anything in France. Most things you can do if you do them the right way

“I had an American client who wanted to introduce a new policy specifically covering employee relationships in Paris because, they said, ‘Paris is a very dangerous city because people are very romantic’,” recalls Renard. 

As she explains it, the client wanted not only full disclosure of any romantic relationship between co-workers, but for employees to seek authorisation from managers in the event that two colleagues wanted to go on a date or to sleep together.

“We told them that kind of policy was completely impossible as it relates to private life,” she explains. “Leaving aside the fact the policy concentrates on only Paris – which is a little insulting – if it’s two consenting adults, where is the employment law issue?”

But that wasn’t the only difficult ask from this particular US-headquartered client. They wanted a policy forbidding employees disclosing their remuneration to their spouses. 

“I firmly recommended they not do that,” says Renard. “From a practical perspective, couples in France file a single tax return, so your spouse is going to see how much you earn. And, legally, I advised they would have a big problem enforcing the policy in France. But they were insistent, saying, ‘It’s how we do it in other countries’. So, we left it in, and there was a big row with the unions, works council, and the employees.”

At IEL’s Spring European Employment Summit in Paris in March, almost every foreign in-house employment counsel had a war story about operating in France – with some admitting to leaving the country out of any cross-border project or global policy change. But while true that France has stricter labour protections than other jurisdictions, even in Europe, Renard suggests much of the criticism of her homeland is overblown.

“Well, there is reality and there is myth. The myth is that you can never do anything in France. Most things you can do if you do them the right way,” she says. “As I tell my clients, there are things which will be more expensive in France. Redundancies are big projects that take months, and you can’t avoid them, no matter how rich you are – you can’t just buy your way out of them. But at the same time, we never have litigation asking for $5m, $10m, $100m because of a joke. Such claims don’t exist,” she explains.

What is really fascinating about employment is that it’s a reflection of society – both historically and sociologically

“Litigation is also easier and much less expensive. You don’t have witness statements. You don’t have hundreds of lawyers working on a case. It’s basically two lawyers pleading for 20 minutes against each other in court. It’s completely different to disputes in London or New York.”

But that is not to say some French disputes don’t raise eyebrows in London or New York. “You might, for example, have an investment banker with a salary of €5m saying, ‘Sorry, I was not working 35 hours a week and the way you drafted my contract is not accurate – I want overtime.’ It’s something that blows people’s minds in the US or the UK,” Renard admits.

So, while French employment law is not without its challenges, Renard firmly believes multinationals just need more education on the practicalities of operating locally. 

“What is really fascinating about employment is that it’s a reflection of society – both historically and sociologically. So, when you understand our culture, you will understand the differences between Anglo-Saxon and European legal systems,” she says.

“Unlike in the US, where you can gather diversity data, in France you can’t ask an employee something which is not directly linked to their work. Their religion, sexual orientation – it’s their private life and nothing to do with their work. And that is partly due to the war and sensitivity that when you give information, it can be used against you.”

But to understand local eccentricities, local lawyers must do a better job of allaying multinationals’ fears of operating in labour-friendly jurisdictions – and this is especially true in France, Renard adds. 

“By saying something is prohibited, that there might even be criminal sanctions, it’s extremely easy to frighten your client – and some lawyers do that instead of partnering with the client to find a solution. Most of the time, we will find a way around,” she says.

It’s not the French tradition to investigate, some in-house lawyers here just forget that they’re speaking to employees and that those employees have rights

Looking at current trends, Renard highlights a rise in sexual harassment, moral harassment, and mental health claims in French workplaces. 

“These claims didn’t really exist 20 years ago, but we see them a lot now. They’re big issues for employers because the younger generation might be a bit more sensitive to them than my generation, for example.”

Much like the rest of the world, workplace investigations are booming in France. But investigations conducted by external law firms is still a relatively new development. 

“Ten years ago, we couldn’t do investigations for regulatory reasons. You see, if you’re an investigator, you need to be independent from the client who pays you. It’s still quite a grey area but it’s very interesting and very valuable,” says Renard. 

And with investigations and whistleblowing still developing areas in France, Renard suggests instructing external firms can help save in-house clients from some embarrassing slip ups. 

“Because it’s not the French tradition to investigate, some in-house lawyers here just forget that they’re speaking to employees and that those employees have rights. Investigations can also be quite uncomfortable,” she adds.

“Sexual harassment between colleagues, for example. As I said before, an employer shouldn’t be looking into an employee’s private life. But, during an investigation, you have to. So, you must have the knowledge and the know-how to handle these situations carefully. It’s something we’re really trying to make known to all our clients.”

In 20 years, the only people who will remember that you spent a weekend working will be your children. Your client will have forgotten

Having joined Simmons in 1995, and making partner in 2006, Renard celebrates her 30th anniversary with the firm this year. But while she leads both the international and French employment practices, overseeing around 120 lawyers worldwide, she still finds time for client work.

“I have quite a lot of management responsibility, but I love my client work. I’m not on all day-to-day negotiations, as you can imagine, and I spend a lot of time travelling, but on average I split my time 50/50 between management and fee earning. Having a big team helps share the load.”

Still, one might wonder how Renard can juggle both the management of her national and cross-border responsibilities within France’s rigid 35-hour working week and right to disconnect rules. 

“Well, again, it’s more myth than anything else,” she laughs. “Can I completely disconnect? Probably not. Can I manage my time? Yes. I know what I can do, what I cannot do, and I have quite a clear view of what I want to do. 

“My mantra is, ‘Is it a good use of your time?’ If it is, then I’m happy to do it. When it’s not, I delegate because it might be a good use of someone else’s time. But I won’t leave my team overwhelmed just because it might not be a good use of my time to review a settlement agreement.”

But coming to that realisation has been a learning curve shaped by numerous experiences with difficult clients, she admits.

“One of my most challenging experiences was as a young partner working for a huge Chinese client on a big reorganisation in France. We’d been working late nights and weekends, when late one Friday night, the client wanted us to call the court to have a hearing over the weekend. After we explained that that wouldn’t happen, that the court wouldn’t open just for us, they said we weren’t any good, that we didn’t know the right people.” 

Renard admits that the whole experience left her and her team a little traumatised, as the client didn’t want to understand, nor accept, the French culture or local rules. However, it taught her an important lesson that has stuck with her in the years since.

“In 20 years, the only people who will remember that you spent a weekend working will be your children. Your client will have forgotten. So, while I’m very supportive of my clients, sometimes you have to manage their expectations.”

Read more from Laurence Renard in IEL’s Women Leaders Survey 2025.