Divorce and separation
Mutual consent, contested divorce, ending a civil partnership or cohabitation: organising the separation without losing your footing or your home.
Attorney at the Lyon Bar
You will not go through this alone.
I am Hélène Alba: I meet you, I listen to the whole of your situation, and I tell you plainly what is possible.
- First phone conversation is free
- Fees written down before anything begins
- Absolute attorney-client privilege
- 2011
- admitted to practice in Lyon
- One
- single contact, from the first call to the hearing
- 24 h
- to answer your messages on working days
- 400+
- families supported since opening
What I handle
The matters I take on
These are the only fields I practise in. That limit is deliberate: it lets me know the judges, the timelines and the habits of the Lyon court.
Children: residence, visits, maintenance
Setting or revising a residence arrangement, a holiday schedule, a maintenance contribution. The child's interest guides every application I file.
Inheritance and family assets
Division, a joint estate that will not settle, spousal gifts, protecting a surviving spouse: bringing law back where only emotion is left.
Protecting vulnerable relatives
Guardianship, curatorship, family authorisation, future protection mandate: supporting a parent losing independence without dividing the siblings.
Emergency protection orders
When the situation is dangerous, the judge can rule within days. I build the file with you and stay beside you at every stage.
Mediation and settlements
Many cases end better outside the courtroom. I prepare the agreement, make it legally sound and have it approved by the judge.
The path
How we will move forward together
No one should discover a legal procedure as it happens to them. Here, concretely, are the four stages of our work: what you will experience at each one, and what I am doing during that time.
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First stage · 20 minutes on the phone
A first conversation to set out the situation
What you go throughYou tell your story once, without having to tidy it up first. No documents are asked of you and nothing is committed to.
What I doI listen, I ask the three or four questions that change everything, and I tell you on that call whether your case is mine to handle — or who to speak to instead.
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Second stage · The review meeting
A clear strategy, with the costs written down
What you go throughYou leave with a written scenario: the stages, realistic timelines, what it will cost, and what remains uncertain — because some of it always does.
What I doI go through your documents, rule out the proceedings that would lead nowhere, and sign a fee agreement with you before anything begins.
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Third stage · The proceedings
Mediation or hearing, right beside you
What you go throughYou never learn anything by surprise: you know what is happening, when, and what is expected of you. On the day of the hearing, I am on your left.
What I doI negotiate, I draft, I plead. Before each hearing we rehearse the running order together, so the courtroom holds no surprises.
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Fourth stage · Afterwards
Securing what comes next
What you go throughThe ruling is handed down, but your life goes on: maintenance to index, assets to divide, a schedule both parents have to respect.
What I doI check that the judgment is enforced, prepare the remaining deeds, and stay reachable if things change in the months that follow.
24 h to receive an answer to your messages
The practice
One attorney, one file, undivided attention
I opened on quai Saint-Antoine in 2011, after ten years in a larger firm. I chose to practise alone for one simple reason: in these cases, nobody should have to tell the same story twice to two different people.
You will have me on the phone, I will draft your submissions, and I will plead your case. I also tell you when proceedings make no sense: knowing when to stop is part of the advice you pay for.
- One single contact, from the first call to the hearing
- A fee agreement signed before anything begins
- A written summary, free of jargon, after every stage
- Video appointments if you are far away or unable to travel
The place
A quiet office on quai Saint-Antoine
No shared waiting room: appointments are spaced out so you meet no one on your way in.
They have been there
What they say about it
I arrived in pieces and left with a schedule, a budget and a date. That was exactly what I needed that day.
She talked me through the hearing almost minute by minute. On the day, nothing surprised me and I was able to speak.
My mother was losing her independence and the family was tearing itself apart. She brought back structure and law where only blame was left.
Frequently asked
What people ask before calling
What does a first appointment cost?
The twenty-minute phone conversation is free: it exists so we can tell whether I am the right person for you. The full review meeting costs €180 including tax, deducted from my fees if we work together.
Can I get legal aid?
Yes, I accept full and partial legal aid in family matters. We check your entitlement during the first conversation and I help you put the application together.
How long does a divorce take?
A divorce by mutual consent usually completes in three to six months. A contested divorce depends on the court: in Lyon, expect twelve to twenty-four months. I give you a realistic range from the start, never a promise.
Is what I tell you confidential?
Entirely. Attorney-client privilege is absolute and has no time limit: it covers our exchanges, your documents and even the existence of our meeting. Not your spouse, not your family, not anyone else can reach it.
Can the courtroom be avoided?
Often, yes. Family mediation or a collaborative procedure lets us build an agreement and have a judge approve it. I tell you honestly when that route is open — and when it is not.
Do you work outside Lyon?
I plead before the courts of Lyon, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Bourg-en-Bresse and Vienne. Beyond that, I can remain your counsel and work with a local colleague filing on site.
Contact
Write to me and I will call you back
Tell me only the essentials: I call you back personally within 72 working hours for a free first conversation.
- The practice
- 12 quai Saint-Antoine, 69002 Lyon, France
- Opening hours
- Monday to Friday, 9am – 6.30pm · video appointments available
- Phone
- +33 4 78 42 19 06
- contact@cabinet-alba.fr