Court-appointed expert

A court-appointed expert (expert judiciaire) is a professional designated by a court or tribunal to provide technical opinions on matters requiring specialist knowledge — financial valuation, accounting, engineering, medicine. In financial disputes involving business valuation, the court-appointed financial expert determines the value of shares or assets when parties cannot agree. Their report is not strictly binding on the court but carries significant authority. In France, they operate under strict procedural rules (Code de procédure civile); in Switzerland, cantonal civil procedure codes govern their mandate. They are distinct from party-appointed experts who advocate for one side.

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Example: in a dispute between shareholders of a French company over the value of a 30% stake, the commercial court designates Hectelion as court-appointed expert. The expert prepares an independent valuation using three methodologies (DCF, transaction multiples, practitioners' method), concluding a value of CHF 4.8 million for the 30% interest — a conclusion that serves as the basis for the court's judgment.

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Hectelion's experts are registered as court-appointed experts before French commercial courts and Swiss cantonal courts for financial valuation matters.