Welcome to the French Trials project
The FRENCH TRIALS web site that you are now entering is the result of a Cornell University Faculty Innovation in Teaching Grant that I was awarded in 2004. As a follow up to the FRENCH LAW IN ACTION project, it presents French and U.S. criminal courtroom practice in a comparative perspective. A civil trial component will be forthcoming.
None of this would have been possible without active, thoughtful, and intelligent collaborators each taking responsibility for the various elements that make this a compelling, instructive, and innovative site for cultural exploration. I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to Antoine Garapon, Barbara Villez, Mikael Nabati, and Jean Louis Langlois, for their participation in the vision and for their diligence in making this site a reality.
This multimedia project fills a gap for students and helps them understand how French law is applied in the courts. This project has both an intellectual component–the comparison of legal judicial cultures, and the element of practical interest for students, judges, and legal practitioners.
Please read the Introduction carefully and enjoy!
Claire M. Germain
Edward Cornell Law Librarian & Professor of Law
Director, Dual Degree Programs, Paris & Berlin
Cornell University Law School