PORTRAITS

Florence de Graeve is an independent notary with both private and business clients. She talked to us about her job as a notary and her work on the executive committee of the Notaires Conseil d’Entreprise association, where she heads a sub-committee on digital matters. She is also a member of the Avignon FCE businesswomen’s group. Notaries in France play a role in most of life’s big moments, from buying a house to getting married to working out inheritance legalities. When a legal contract is drawn up by a notaire, complete with a signature and seal, the document’s authenticity and legality are guaranteed. It’s a job that requires sensitivity to people’s needs and wants. In 2018 the Conseil Supérieur du Notariat granted Florence de Graeve the status of “family advice notary”. Property law, family law, company law and international law are changing all the time. That can cause a lot of worry and confusion, but Florence sorts out problems with unaffected empathy. Studying law, she was heading for a barrister’s career until she realised that her personality was better suited to a notary’s work. “What appealed to me was the idea of helping to settle things out of court, seeking agreement, mediating. Defending the contract, striking a balance while respecting each party’s wishes.”Florence was an early adopter of digital tools. She started using digital signing of official documents in 2012 and video conferencing in 2016. She heads the NCE’s digital sub-committee, training and advising colleagues on the new ways of working.

By Valérie Rouger

Localisation : Morières-les-Avignon - Création : 2011 - Activité : activité notariale, membre du Conseil d’Administration de l’association Notaires Conseil d’Entreprise, responsable de la commission numérique - Capital social : Notaire individuel, étude créée - Président de l’association NCE : Maître Hubert Fabre, notaire à Paris - Collaborateurs de l’office : 5 - Nombre d’adhérents de l’association : 250 répartis sur l’ensemble de la France

Her practice and the NCE

Her practice covers the whole range of notarial functions. She pulls out all the stops to reassure clients, explain complex legal notions in simple terms and help them fully grasp their situation in the overall settings of family, property and inheritance.
NCE is a professional association of notaries specialising in business law. Its many members throughout France have a thorough knowledge of the problems business people encounter. They are skilled in helping business heads and startup entrepreneurs in legal, fiscal and property matters in the professional and private spheres.