What does a filings clerk do?
Filings clerks are an essential yet little-known link in the legal life of companies.
When a company carries out an operation (annual AGM, registered office transfer, name change, etc.), it must draft documents (minutes, articles of association, etc.), have these documents signed and then complete the statutory filings: this is where the filings clerk comes in.
The 3 stages of a filings clerk's work
File verification
The filings clerk checks that the file submitted by the client contains all the necessary documents and information.
A poorly verified file means a filing rejected by the registry and very long delays for correction.
Knows the regulations for each operation inside out
Has experience and knows the pitfalls of each type of operation
Knows the subtleties and requirements of each registry
Can spot every error, even the most subtle ones
Legal notice
The filings clerk then places a notice in a legal announcements journal (where this step is mandatory). To do this they must:
select a journal authorised to publish in the department of the company's registered office
draft the notice setting out the details of the operation and including all mandatory information
keep proof for submission to the registrar
Registry filings
This is the most complex operation. The filings clerk must:
submit the file to the registry via the Guichet Unique des entreprises:
enter the required information (taking care to include all mandatory information but not too much)
attach the required documents
ensure nothing is missing
respond to any queries from the registrar
It is at the end of this process that you obtain the company's up-to-date Kbis.
Did you know?
Every year, 3.5 million statutory filings are completed in France.
