Criminal defence requires three things: immediate availability, full mastery of procedure, and lucidity about what is at stake — the integrity, the freedom, the future of the person under investigation or victim. Member of the Luxembourg Association of Criminal Lawyers (ALAP), I practise on both sides of the border, in defence as well as for victims.
In criminal matters, every hour counts. The right reflex is to call from the very first summons, the first arrest, the first notification. Here are situations where contact must be immediate.
Criminal law admits neither amateurism nor delay. An effective defence is prepared from the first hour, structured around a written strategy, and conducted with precise knowledge of the seized jurisdictions and the magistrates before whom one pleads.
Rapid response in case of police custody, detention or arrest: presence from the first hour (article 63-3-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure), assistance at all hearings, systematic intervention in case of extension. The attorney's presence determines the admissibility of many subsequent acts.
After the first post-custody meeting, you receive a written note summarising the alleged qualification, the penalties incurred, the evidence for and against, and the strategy envisaged at each stage (investigation, hearing, remedies).
Mastery of fast procedures (CRPC, immediate appearance, criminal order) which require different responsiveness from classic litigation. Pleading before the criminal court, the assize court and the Metz appellate criminal chamber. Negotiation of sentence adjustments at the enforcement phase.
The firm intervenes on all criminal litigation, in defence and for victims, before French and Luxembourg jurisdictions.
Police custody is a 24-hour deprivation of liberty, renewable once on the prosecutor's authorisation (48 hours total for ordinary offences, up to 96 hours for complex offences, 144 hours for terrorism). The attorney can intervene from the first hour, hold a 30-minute confidential meeting, access interview reports, and assist all hearings and confrontations.
When a complex case is opened by the prosecutor, it may be entrusted to an investigating judge. The accused or assisted witness is summoned for interviews and confrontations spread over months or years. The firm assists at every act, files requests for further acts (interviews, expertises, on-site visits) and uses remedies against safety measures (judicial supervision, pre-trial detention).
Immediate appearance is a fast procedure reserved for flagrant offences or situations where the prosecutor considers the case ready for trial. It takes place within 48 hours of deferral, often with only a few hours to prepare the defence. CRPC (plea bargaining, art. 495-7 CPP) requires acknowledgement of the facts and negotiation of the penalty with the prosecutor. These procedures demand immediate responsiveness and perfect procedural mastery.
The criminal court tries offences (punished by a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment). The assize court tries crimes (above 10 years). The stakes, procedure and nature of the pleading differ profoundly. The firm pleads before both jurisdictions, as well as before the special assize court (terrorism, drug trafficking by organised gangs) and the Metz appellate criminal chamber.
Juvenile criminal law (Code of Juvenile Criminal Justice, in force since 2021) relies on specialised jurisdictions: children's judge, juvenile court, juvenile assize court. Educational measures take precedence over criminal sanctions. The presence of an attorney is mandatory at all stages — including in police custody, where the minor cannot waive this right. The firm pays particular attention to this matter.
Victims of offences enjoy a precise procedural status and extensive rights: access to the file, assistance at all investigation acts, request for indictment, right to plead at the criminal hearing. The firm regularly represents civil parties, in particular in cases of assault, involuntary manslaughter and intra-family violence, in close articulation with compensation proceedings before civil courts or the CIVI.
The criminal path varies radically depending on the procedure chosen by the prosecutor. Here is the framework of a classic criminal court case without pre-trial detention.
Emergency call to the firm. Immediate intervention at the police station or gendarmerie. Confidential meeting, assistance at all hearings, preparation of next steps (release, deferral to the prosecutor's office).
Three possible paths: dismissal, alternative to prosecution (warning, mediation), or prosecution. In case of prosecution, the prosecutor chooses the procedure: summons, immediate appearance, opening of an investigation, or CRPC.
In-depth study of the file (reports, expertises, depositions), case law research, hearing of possible witnesses, drafting of the pleading. Depending on complexity: 2 to 8 weeks of preparation.
Pleading before the criminal court. If the judgment is unfavourable, appeal within 10 days (art. 498 CPP) before the appellate criminal chamber of the Metz Court of Appeal. Cassation appeal possible under certain conditions.
Criminal cases are billed under a written fee agreement combining an initial flat fee (covering custody or first hearing) and flat fees per procedural stage (investigation, hearing, appeal). An emergency intervention in custody is subject to a specific rate. Legal aid is accepted under all conditions provided by law, including for immediate appearances.
No. You have the right to remain silent (art. 63-1 CPP), and this silence cannot be held against you. The rule is simple: wait for the attorney, explain the situation in confidential meeting, then agree together on the strategy for upcoming hearings. A statement made alone, under stress, can compromise the entire subsequent defence.
24 hours by right, renewable once on written authorisation of the prosecutor (48 hours total). For complex offences (organised crime, drug trafficking, money laundering), duration can be extended to 96 hours, and up to 144 hours in terrorism matters. Any extension must be reasoned and notified.
You are deferred to the prosecutor's office at the end of police custody, then presented to the criminal court the same day or the day after. The court can: try immediately (if the defence is ready and consent given), adjourn the case for 2-6 weeks to prepare the defence (with or without pre-trial detention), or pronounce a safety measure pending. The decision on liberty is taken there and then.
Yes, it is even mandatory. For a minor, the attorney's presence is indispensable and cannot be waived. Legal aid is granted as of right. The firm is regularly called upon for police custody of minors in Metz and its agglomeration.
Yes. As a member of the Luxembourg Association of Criminal Lawyers (ALAP) and admitted to the Luxembourg Bar, I practise criminal defence in the Grand Duchy. Cross-border practice (European arrest warrants, extraditions, France-Luxembourg criminal mutual assistance) is one of the firm's specialisations.
For any emergency (custody, hearing, deferral), call directly. For other situations, the first meeting is offered and allows us to assess the ongoing procedure and set the strategy. Offices in Metz (Metz Bar) and in Luxembourg City (Luxembourg Bar) — cross-border practice France · Luxembourg without changing counsel.