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This article analyzes the way in which the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris (CCIP) uses law and the way in which law contributes to its permanence. The CCIP is a kind of “negotiated order”. If this institution is subject to a strict order, its members maintain a contrasting relationship with the rules, in view of the diverse profiles and functions of salaried and consular elected officials. Law is often perceived as a constraint in an organization characterized by the influence of pragmatism and an informal structure. As carried out by the CCIP, law is also an asset, a source of legitimacy, and an instrument of consolidation.