The French Civil Code

This book charts the formation of the French Civil Code, examining both its public and private effects. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, French private law was very different in the various parts of the country. In northern and central France, there were as many as sixty-five general customs in force, as well as over three hundred local customs, often differing from them in detail. As the feeling of nationhood grew, so did the idea of replacing the existing variety of laws by a single private law, possibly a code, common to all of France. 'A single body of law, called the Code Civil is to be created' proclaimed the Law of 21 March 1804, which was created by the amalgamation of thirty-six texts. The French Civil Code analyzes the Code using contemporary and modern sources, including the beautiful and concise extract from H.A.L. Fisher's History of Europe which gives an English historian's appraisal of Napoleon's contribution to the Code Civil. This text will appeal to all students of and those with an interest in international law.

From the 16th to the 18th centuries French private law was very different in the various parts of the country. In northern and central France there were as many as 65 general customs in force, as well as over 300 local customs, often differing from them in detail. As the feeling of nationhood grew, so did the idea of replacing the existing variety of laws by a single private law, possibly a code, common to all of France. "A single body of law, called the Code Civil is to be created." So proclaimed the law of 21 March 1804 (30 Ventse year XII). It was to be created by the amalgamation of 36 texts recently adopted. This was the culmination of an enterprise started many years previously. The idea of unifying French private law, conceived under Louis XI, had been frequently repeated since then, but under the ancien regime lawyers never got beyond sketching and planning. Proper drafts of a civil code were put to assembly after assembly under the Revolution, but in ten years none was ever adopted. This book charts the formation of the French Civil Code, examining both the public and private effects. It analyses the Code using contemporary and modern sources, including a very beautiful and concise extract from H. A. L. Fisher's "History of Europe" which gives an English historian's appraisal of Napoleon's contribution to the Code Civil.

Introduction to French Law is a very practical book that makes clear sense out of the complex results of the complex bodies of law that govern the most important fields of law and legal practice in France today. Seventeen chapters, each written by a distinguished French legal scholar, cover the following field in substantive and procedural detail, with lucid explanations of French law in the fields such as Constitutional Law , European Union Law, Administrative Law, Criminal Law , Property Law , Intellectual Property Law , Contract Law , Tort Liability, Family Law, Inheritance Law , Civil Procedure, Company Law, Competition Law , Labour Law , Tax Law and. Private International Law

Originally published: New York: New York University Press, 1956. x, 438 pp. This book consists of papers delivered by participants in the conference sponsored by the New York University Institute of Comparative Law to honor the 150th anniversary of the French Civil Code, which was the largest public celebration of the event in the legal world. The papers deal with the influence of the Code upon common-law countries in their efforts to manage statute and case law and gives examples of modern attempts at restatement of the law and uniform state laws as examples of the effect of the Code's coherence and logic. The papers were given by notable legal scholars such as Benjamin Akzin, Ren Cassin, C.J. Friedrich, Arthur von Mehren, Roscoe Pound, Thibadeau Rinfret, Max Rheinstein, Angelo Piero Sereni, Jack Bernard Tate and Arthur T. Vanderbilt. At the time of these lectures Schwartz was Director of the Institute. Includes a bibliography by Julius J. Marke. Reprint of the first edition. BERNARD SCHWARTZ 1923-1997] was professor of law and director of the Institute of Comparative Law, New York University. He was the author of over fifty books, including French Administrative Law and the Common-Law World (1954, reprinted 2006), the five-volume Commentary on the Constitution of the United States (1963-1968), Constitutional Law: A Textbook (2d ed., 1979), Administrative Law: A Casebook (4th ed., 1994) and A History of the Supreme Court (1993).

Principles of French Law offers a comprehensive introduction to French law and the French legal system in terms which a common lawyer can understand. The authors give an explanation of the institutions, rules and techniques that characterize the major branches of French law. The chapters provide the reader with a clear sense of the questions that French lawyers see as important and how they would answer them. In the ten years since the publication of the first edition, French law has changed in significant ways. European Union law and the European Convention on Human Rights have had a significant impact, especially on procedural law and family law. There has been a new Commercial Code, major legislation on divorce, succession and criminal law, as well as significant developments in the Constitution. In addition, there have been considerable developments in the case-law and a much discussed proposal for reform of major areas of the law of obligations. The chapters present not only the rules of law, but, where appropriate, the principles and values underlying the system. Considerable use is made of juristic literature and of examples from French case law. The book is designed for students studying French law at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and as preliminary reading for students about to study in France. It will also serve as an initial point of reference for scholars embarking on a study of French law.