The French Legal System Book

Preface     v
Historical development and classification of laws     1
Historical Development of the French Legal System     1
Roman Gaul to feudal France     1
Roman Gaul     1
From ethnic to local customary law     2
The evolution of royal authority     2
Evolution of the judicial system and legal procedure     4
Sources of pre-revolutionary law (Ancien Droit)     8
Customary law     8
Case law of the Parlements     10
Royal ordinances     11
Roman law     14
Canon law     15
Legal writings (la doctrine)     16
Towards codification     17
Revolutionary and post-revolutionary law     17
Repeal of Ancien Droit     17
Codification of private law     20
Introduction of a written constitution     23
Classification of French Law     24
The distinction between droit public and droit prive     24
Classification of French law     25
Texts and Materials     28
Modern sources of law     41
Introduction     41
Ancien Droit     41
Sources of modern Frenchlaw     41
Understanding the French approach to the written law     41
Legislation     42
Loi and reglement     42
Hierarchy of texts     43
Parliamentary statutes (lois)     47
Interpretation of legislation     49
Case law (la jurisprudence)     54
Introduction     54
Is case law a source of law?     55
The authority of case law     57
Form and presentation of decisions     59
Law reports     60
Legal writings (la doctrine)     60
Definition and role     60
Form     61
Custom     61
Introduction     61
Continuing importance of custom     61
Texts and Materials     64
The court system, the judiciary and the legal professions     73
The court system     73
General principles     73
Ordinary courts     76
Administrative courts     88
Le Conseil Constitutionnel     94
The judiciary     95
Introduction     95
Recruitment and training     96
Independence     97
Discipline      99
The legal professions     100
Introduction     100
Avocats     100
Avocats aux Conseils     107
Notaires     107
Avoues pres des Cours d'Appel     109
Huissiers de justice     109
Administrateurs et mandataires judiciaires     110
Costs and legal aid     110
Introduction     110
Costs     111
Legal aid     111
Texts and Materials     114
The constitutional framework     135
Introduction     135
The Republic     136
The notion of 'Republique'     136
The continuity of the Republic     136
The Republican programme     137
The institutions of the Republic: separation of powers     141
The defence of the Republic     150
The nation     153
Theoretical basis     153
National sovereignty     153
Amendments to the principle of national sovereignty in the 1958 Constitution     155
l'Etat de droit     158
The hierarchy of norms     158
The Constitution and parliamentary statute     159
International and EU law     163
General principles of law     164
Presidential decisions     166
Ordinances     166
Government regulations; le pouvoir reglementaire     167
The principle of legality     168
Le mediateur     171
Texts and Materials     173
Criminal procedure     215
First principles     215
Characteristics     215
Historical development     216
Burden and means of proof     218
Those involved in the criminal action     224
The police     224
The prosecution; le ministere public     226
La partie civile; prosecution by the victim     231
Prosecution by persons other than the ministere public and partie civile     234
Juge d'instruction     234
The Chambre d'accusation of the Cour d'Appel     235
The jury     236
L'enquete de police     237
Purpose and characteristics     237
L'enquete preliminaire and l'enquete de flagrance     239
Police powers and rights of the suspect during the enquete     240
Termination of l'enquete de police     246
Instruction      246
Purpose and nature of instruction     246
Recourse to instruction     248
Arrest, detention and questioning of the suspect     250
Questioning of witnesses     257
Factual investigations     257
Expert investigations     259
Investigation of the background of the accused (l'enquete de personnalite)     261
Bringing to an end instruction; ordonnances de reglement     262
The Chambre d'accusation of the Cour d'Appel     263
Trial     264
Characteristics     264
Trial procedure     265
Simplified trial procedure in the Tribunal de Police     267
Voies de recours; appeals     268
Introduction     268
Appel     268
Opposition     269
Pourvoi en cassation     269
Pourvoi en revision     270
Texts and Materials     272
Civil and administrative procedure     285
Introductory matters     285
Growth of litigation     285
Roles of the judge and the parties     285
Procedure: secret or public?     287
Procedure: written or oral?     287
Burden and means of proof      288
Role of the ministere public and commissaire du gouvernement     290
Civil procedure in Tribunal de Grande Instance cases     291
Commencement of an action     291
The instruction phase     292
Hearing and judgment     298
Voies de recours (appeals)     301
Voies d'execution: enforcement of judgments     304
Particular procedures     305
Introduction     305
Procedures for simple and urgent matters (les procedures d'urgence)     306
Procedure in respect of consent orders (matiere gracieuse)     308
Procedure before courts of special jurisdiction     309
Arbitration     310
Alternative dispute resolution     311
Administrative court procedure     312
Introduction     312
Different types of administrative proceedings (recours)     312
Non-suspensive effect of administrative proceedings     314
Conditions for proceedings to lie (conditions de recevabilite des recours)     315
Procedure in the administrative courts     317
Texts and Materials     320
Glossary of terms     333
Selected bibliography     349
Index     355