Georgetown Law users should consult the subscription Foreign Law Guide, an online guide to researching the law of about 190 jurisdictions around the world. The entry for France includes an introduction to the country's legal history and sources of law; lists of the primary sources for statutes, regulations, case law and other sources of law, along with discussions of how to access them electronically and in print; lists of major laws categorized by subject; and a selection of English-language translations. French statutes are not available on Lexis or Westlaw.
Some French laws have been translated into English. Note that English translations are never official and may not reflect recent changes in the law.
Below is a selection of some of the most frequently-used codes, along with information on how to access them.
Code civil (Civil Code)
- Official version is available through through Légifrance, a free official service of the French government (French)
- Available in print in the Law Library: Code civil KJV 444.2 1804.A2 (1975–2020)
Code de commerce (Commercial Code)
Code de procédure civile (Code of Civil Procedure)
Code de procédure pénal (Code of Criminal Procedure)
Code pénal (Penal Code)
- Official version is available through Légifrance (French)
- Selected years available in print in the Law Library: Code pénal KJV7982 .A52
Other statutes
- Official versions of all 77 of France’s codes are available on Légifrance.
- France’s official legal gazette, the Journal officiel de la République française (Official Journal of the French Republic), is available online through Légifrance (1869–present). It publishes laws, executive regulations, proposed bills, and parliamentary debates.
