Introduction
In a globalized world, it has become unavoidable to deal with foreign legal systems. One way to understand and appreciate the differences between two legal systems is to read a foreign textbook or a book on comparative law. The method that we offer here is quite different. This program will not seek to gather and summarize the numerous discrepancies between the French and American legal systems. Rather, this program aims at revealing the cultural framework from which these differences arise.
Although these cultural differences are nowhere written or formalized, they often explain the general philosophy of a legal system. Culture is all that is so obvious no one ever really talks about it. Culture is what we all share, what we all understand, but what we never verbalize explicitly. We will try to put words on these cultural concepts based on the law in action and materialized through video extracts.
It is hoped that this program will save you time and provide you with a few necessary clues to the French legal culture. Maybe this will also allow you to look at your own legal culture in a new way. A question and answer section will be helpful to those of you who are interested in going more deeply into the subject. Some important words, which are not translatable, will be maintained in French throughout this program, but will be explained in hypertext links.
One last word of advice before starting: try not to judge the legal system you are about to discover. Suspend judgment while viewing this program. This may seem quite easy, but in fact, it is extremely difficult. To understand a foreign culture, it is necessary to examine one’s own as well. It is thus suggested that you keep your own culture in mind, but be ready to admit that others might do things differently.