Founded in 1992 by Maître Marianne Pavot, the firm supports companies, institutions and individuals before all courts in Madagascar.
Maralex Legal stands out through its expertise in litigation strategy and negotiation. Its partner network enables coordinated action throughout Madagascar.
1992Established
30+Years of experience
6Core practice areas
Maralex Legal in pictures
Discover our firm.
Our team, our approach and our commitment to protecting your interests.
Practice areas
Broad and connected legal expertise.
Advice, risk prevention, negotiation and representation in court.
01
Business and corporate law
Formation, governance, transactions and strategic support.
02
Commercial law
Contracts, business relationships and dispute resolution.
03
Civil law
Advice and protection of personal and property interests.
04
Criminal law
Assistance and representation at every stage of proceedings.
05
Negotiation and arbitration
Mediation and settlements aligned with our clients’ objectives.
06
Administrative law
Relations with public authorities and administrative disputes.
Our commitments
Four values guide every matter.
Efficiency
Proportionate resources to reach pragmatic, negotiated or litigated solutions.
Integrity
Dignity, independence, probity and absolute professional confidentiality.
Transparency
Clear, regular information that enables fully informed decisions.
Humanity
A practice of law serving freedoms and fundamental rights.
Our lawyers
An experienced and committed team.
Marianne Pavot
Founding attorney
Founding attorney of Cabinet Razafinimanana, which became Maralex Legal in 2017, she has practised law since 1989.
She also taught law for several years at the University of Antananarivo, the Antanimena School of Social Work and ESSCA Antanimena.
With strong interpersonal, writing, analytical and listening skills, she has extensive command of civil, criminal and administrative procedures as well as negotiation techniques.
A partner admitted to the Madagascar Bar in 2011, she practises across a broad range of advisory and litigation matters.
She is also an OMAPI-accredited industrial property consultant and agent, assisting clients with the protection and enforcement of their intangible assets.
She has completed several international training programmes, including the prestigious Paris Bar International Internship in 2018.
Civil · criminal · intellectual property · technology · human rights · mediation
Redzone is a business centre in the heart of Antananarivo. Registered office services, furnished offices, coworking spaces and meeting rooms provide everything needed to launch and grow a business with confidence.
Legal support delivered with clarity, availability and commitment.
“
We entrusted the incorporation of our company to Maralex Legal and were fully satisfied with their assistance. The team stood out for its professionalism, responsiveness and availability throughout the process. The administrative procedures were clearly explained and handled efficiently.
Company incorporationCorporate client
“
As a foreign investor, the firm supported me with professionalism, patience and availability at every stage of setting up my company in Madagascar. Thanks to their expertise, I was able to bring my project to fruition with confidence and without major difficulty.
Investing in MadagascarForeign investor
“
Faced with an unpaid debt, I turned to Maralex Legal, who handled the entire procedure with professionalism and efficiency. With their support, I won my case and recovered the debt. Maralex Legal is now a trusted legal partner for my business.
Commercial disputeBusiness owner in Antananarivo
“
Seeking to protect my trademark, I asked Maralex Legal to assist me with the procedures before OMAPI. The team provided thorough and rigorous support through to the registration of my trademark. I particularly appreciated their professionalism and availability.
Intellectual propertyEntrepreneur
“
Faced with a difficult family situation, I asked Maître Marianne Pavot Razafinimanana to defend my rights and preserve my relationship with my children. She supported me with attentiveness, professionalism and dedication throughout the proceedings.
Family lawPrivate client
“
As a foreign national working in Madagascar, I contacted Maralex Legal following a dismissal that I considered unjustified. Despite my absence from the country, the firm handled the proceedings with professionalism, diligence and transparency.
Employment lawInternational client
Legal news
Insights and recent developments.
Maralex Legal and Cabinet Rajerison: complementary expertise featured on Le Figaro
An article published on Le Figaro traces the careers of Marianne Pavot and her daughters, Alexandra and Olivia Rajerison. It presents the firms’ complementary expertise: business law, commercial litigation and industrial property at Maralex Legal; energy, technology and investment at Cabinet Rajerison.
Their knowledge of Malagasy law and international outlook support businesses and investors in their projects. The article also highlights their shared values: professionalism, innovation, transparency and attentive client care.
Minimum Hiring Wage / Minimum Wage in Madagascar: recent reforms
In Madagascar, the minimum wage in the private sector has undergone several successive increases in recent years.
The applicable system is based on minimum hiring wages set according to professional categories and, where applicable, seniority.
In 2024, an increase of approximately 10% raised the minimum wage in the non-agricultural private sector to 262,680 ariary.
In the agricultural sector, the minimum wage was raised to 266,500 ariary with effect from 1 March 2024.
This reform forms part of a process of social dialogue between the State, employers and workers’ representatives.
In February 2026, a new agreement set the minimum hiring wage at 300,000 ariary for category M1l, the lowest level in the minimum hiring wage scale. In practice, it applies to labourers or workers carrying out simple, manual and non-specialised tasks requiring no particular qualifications.
This measure must still be consolidated by the relevant implementing legislation in order to take full legal effect.
Its stated objective is to improve purchasing power and partially offset wage erosion.
In practice, the impact mainly concerns formal private-sector employees, while informal workers remain largely outside the scope of the system.
These developments confirm a trend towards the gradual increase of the minimum wage in Madagascar, within an increasingly structured legal framework.
Institutional crisis in Madagascar and its impact on the judicial system
Since October 2025, Madagascar has been experiencing an institutional crisis marked by the removal of President Andry Rajoelina following an unprecedented popular mobilisation against water and electricity cuts, corruption and poverty. This crisis created a power vacuum, with military forces—particularly the Army Corps of Administrative and Technical Personnel and Services (CAPSAT)—taking control. This exceptional situation raises profound questions about institutional continuity and the functioning of judicial institutions in a context of political instability.
Madagascar’s judicial system, already weakened by years of dysfunction linked to insufficient resources, ageing infrastructure, slow proceedings and corruption issues, has suffered an additional shock as a result of this institutional crisis. The demonstrations, followed by the abrupt change in political leadership, disrupted the organisation of the courts and delayed the processing of cases and ongoing trials. Normal judicial operations have recently resumed, despite the mass adjournment of certain hearings, particularly criminal hearings, due to a strike by prison staff.
The institutional independence of Madagascar’s judicial system remains a major challenge. Despite notable efforts to strengthen the individual independence of judges and improve judicial administration, particularly through legislative reforms, the justice system remains heavily dependent on the executive branch in budgetary and administrative matters.
Digitalisation and modernisation of Madagascar’s judicial system
In May 2025, Madagascar reached a decisive milestone with the official launch of the digital case-law platform (jurisprudence.justice.gov.mg). Supported by the Ministry of Justice and international partners, this initiative aims to centralise and digitise all judicial decisions, bringing an end to a gap of more than fifteen years in the regular publication of case law.
The platform provides:
easier access to decisions for judges, lawyers, litigants and members of parliament;
shorter case-processing times;
greater consistency in case law throughout the country, thereby limiting disparities and legal uncertainty.
Administrative Court of Antananarivo
Despite the 2024 judicial recess, the Administrative Court of Antananarivo is particularly active. As the electoral judge has exclusive jurisdiction over electoral disputes, appeals concerning the latest municipal elections are flowing into the country’s Administrative Courts.
Electoral litigation requires a thorough understanding of detailed and complex procedures. The assistance of a lawyer remains essential to help the parties assert their rights effectively.
Industrial property
Our industrial property consultant and accredited agent attended training on database management applied to industrial property monitoring during the week of 20 January 2025.
