Sylvie Mombellet

About the LawyerMaître Sylvie Mombellet is a seasoned French lawyer in family law, with a particular focus on international family law. A former notary who has transitioned into a career as an attorney, she brings a deep understanding of legal intricacies and patrimonial issues to her practice. Her experience spans various aspects of family law, including international family law, which she decodes for legal professionals, helping them navigate cross‑border family situations and asset divisions.Based in the Rouen area in France, she practices within the structure MS Avocat, a firm dedicated to international family law and private international law applied to family matters. Her work is strongly oriented toward complex cases involving multiple jurisdictions, where questions of applicable law, competent courts, and cross‑border enforcement are central. Drawing on her dual background as notary and lawyer, she offers strategic analysis of international texts and regulations, allowing other legal professionals and clients to secure their positions in international marriage, divorce, and succession cases.Maître Mombellet also acts as a mediator in family disputes, with an emphasis on amicable resolutions in international contexts. She assists in the settlement of successions, the liquidation of matrimonial regimes, and the resolution of family disputes involving several countries, combining technical precision with practical execution in sensitive family law matters.ExperienceMaître Sylvie Mombellet has built a substantial career in family law through a rare combination of roles as notary and attorney. She worked as a notary for 17 years before being admitted to the Bar, where her responsibilities included securing real estate and business transactions, liquidating matrimonial property regimes, and handling successions and wealth management issues in a family‑law context. This long notarial experience gave her an in‑depth understanding of patrimonial family situations, particularly in relation to marriage contracts, divorce consequences, and inheritance structuring.Since 2019, she has chosen to specialize in private international law as applied to family matters, in response to the growing internationalization of family situations. In that context, she added the skills of lawyer and mediator, enabling her to intervene both as counsel and neutral facilitator in complex family cases. As a lawyer registered with the Bar of Rouen, she focuses on family law, the law of persons and their assets, and European and international law as they affect families.Her practice includes:

• Advising French and foreign legal professionals (notaries, lawyers, wealth management advisors) on the determination of applicable law and competent courts in international divorces and cross‑border successions.
• Assisting in the division of assets in international divorce cases, including couples with connections to several countries.
• Guiding notaries and family law practitioners in structuring legally secure frameworks for international asset sharing and succession planning.
• Acting as a mediator in cross‑border inheritance disputes, helping families reach amicable agreements on complex succession and matrimonial property issues.

Through this activity, Maître Mombellet has developed recognized expertise in international family law, especially in the management of multi‑jurisdictional successions and divorces involving countries such as France, South Africa, the United States, and others. Her approach is oriented toward both litigation and amicable solutions, with a strong emphasis on preventing conflicts by anticipating the effects of international regulations on family property and succession.SpecialtyMaître Mombellet’s specialty is international family law, with a clear focus on situations where the family, its assets, and its members are spread across multiple countries. Within family law, her areas of expertise include:

• International Family LawShe handles cases involving international marriages and divorces, mixed unions, and cross‑border family relationships. Her work includes determining the applicable law and competent jurisdiction for international separations, divorces, and successions, and advising on the civil and fiscal consequences of these choices. She is particularly involved in:
  • International marriages and mixed unions.
  • International separations and divorces, including situations where spouses reside in different countries or hold multiple nationalities.
  • International successions, where assets and heirs are located in several jurisdictions.
• Matrimonial Regimes and Asset Division in Family ContextsMaître Mombellet assists in the constitution and liquidation of matrimonial regimes in an international environment. She advises on:
  • The impact of European regulations and foreign laws on matrimonial property regimes.
  • The prevention of automatic changes in matrimonial regimes when spouses move between countries.
  • The division of family assets upon divorce or death, including real estate, business interests, and other patrimonial elements.
• Marriage, PACS, Concubinage, and Civil Status in Family LawShe manages matters relating to:
  • Marriage and PACS (civil solidarity pact), including choice of applicable law and patrimonial consequences.
  • Concubinage and its impact on patrimonial and family situations.
  • Civil status issues, such as changes of name and first name, in connection with family identity and legal documents.
• Successions, Donations, Inheritances, Guardianships, and CuratellesIn family law, she advises on:
  • French and international successions, including the sharing of estates between heirs located in different countries.
  • Donations and inheritance structuring within families, with attention to reserved portions and cross‑border tax and civil issues.
  • Guardianships and curatelles for vulnerable family members, ensuring protection of persons and their assets within domestic and international frameworks.
• Divorces for Fault and Amicable Divorces by Mutual ConsentMaître Mombellet is experienced in:
  • Fault‑based divorce procedures under French law, including their interaction with international elements when spouses or assets are abroad.
  • Amicable divorces by mutual consent, especially where the settlement must be compatible with foreign jurisdictions and enforceable across borders.
  • Structuring divorce agreements that cover child residence, parental authority, and asset division in cross‑border family contexts.
• Alimony (Pension Alimentaire) and Compensatory Payments (Prestation Compensatoire)She calculates and reassesses:
  • Alimony (pension alimentaire) for children or spouses, taking into account international residence, income sources, and enforcement issues.
  • Compensatory payments (prestation compensatoire), analyzing their impact in international situations and ensuring that arrangements are consistent with both French law and relevant foreign laws.

Across these specialties, Maître Mombellet’s practice is centered on assisting families and legal professionals in securing their rights and obligations when family relationships extend beyond French borders. She combines advisory work, formation, and mediation to address the full spectrum of international family law issues, from alliance links (marriage, PACS, divorce) to succession and the protection of vulnerable family members.EducationMaître Sylvie Mombellet’s professional path reflects advanced legal training consistent with her roles as notary and lawyer in family law and international family law. Her qualifications include:

• Completion of the legal education and professional training required to practice as a notary in France, encompassing civil law, family law, patrimonial law, and real‑estate law.
• Additional legal training and certification necessary for admission to the Bar of Rouen as an attorney, enabling her to represent clients and intervene in judicial and amicable family procedures.
• Specialized education in private international law and mediation, supporting her focus on international family law and her role as a mediator in cross‑border family and succession disputes.

This combination of academic and professional training underpins her ability to handle complex family law matters that involve multiple legal systems and require a sophisticated understanding of both domestic and international norms.