J
- Journal Officiel : Official Gazette.
- Juge : Judge.
- Juge aux affaires familiales : Family Judge.
- Juge-Commissaire : Bankruptcy Judge.
- Juge Consulaire : Judge of the Tribunal de Commerce.
- Juge d’Instance : Municipal Court Judge.
- Juge de la Mise en Etat : Judge in charge of procedural issues.
- Juge de l’Exécution : Judge in charge of overseeing enforcement procedures ; he/she may also issue pre-trial attachment orders.
- Juge des Enfants : Judge in charge of minors.
- Juge des Tutelles : Judge in charge of guardianship. See “Tribunal d’Instance”.
- Juge d’Instruction : Investigating Magistrate with the authority of a US Grand Jury. The Juge d’Instruction has the authority to charge criminal defendants and to issue warrant arrests.
- Jugement : judgment.
- Jury : jury. See “Cour d’Assises”.
K
- Know-how : know-how.
L
- Lettre de change : letter of exchange.
- Licence : license.
- Licenciement : dismissal (either on economical grounds or for personal reasons).
- Locataire : tenant.
- Loi : Statute.
M
- Mandat : principal and agent relationship.
- Maire : Mayor.
- Maison d’arrêt : prison.
- Maison-mère : parent company.
- Marque : trademark.
- Mémoire : brief submitted before certain jurisdictions
- Meuble : movable, personal property.
- Ministère Public : Public Prosecutor’s office.
- Mise en demeure : formal demand to pay or to perform some contractual duty.
- Mise en examen : indictment.
- Modèle : design patent.
- Municipalité : township.
N
- Notaire : Public licensed Officer, who has a monopoly to record land transactions and to administer estates pending probate.
- Nul : nul and void.
- Nullité : the state of being nul and void as a result, for instance, of errors or breach of statutory provisions.
O
- Oeuvres : artistic or literary works.
- Officier ministériel : Lawyer and at the same time Public licensed Officer appointed by the state who acts as “Notaire”, “Huissier “or” Commissaire priseur”. ( See these words).
- O.P.J. (Officier de Police Judiciaire) : Police Officer with some para-judicial authority. See “Commission rogatoire”.
- Ordonnance : judicial order, traditionnally in summary proceedings, immediately enforceable.
- Ordonnance de référé : judicial order, issued in summary proceedings. See “Référé”.
P
- Parlement européen : European Parliament.
- Parquet : Office of the Public Prosecutor.
- Part : share in a Société Civile or S.A.R.L.
- Personne morale : Legal Entity
- Personne physique : Natural Person
- Plaidoiries : Pleadings.
- Plus-value : capital gains.
- Postulation : monopoly for filing briefs given to a local Lawyer (e.g. a Paris Lawyer may not file briefs in Marseille even though he may argue cases before the Court in Marseille).
- Pourvoi : petition to the “ Cour de Cassation”.
- Pouvoir : power of Attorney/proxy.
- Président-Directeur Général : President of a S.A. type of company . Chief Excutive officer.
- Prescription : statute of limitations.
- Prêt : loan.
- Preuve : evidence.
- Prévenu : person under arraignment.
- Procès : trial.
- Procureur : Public Prosecutor.
- Propriété Commerciale : benefits attached to the quality of lessee of commercial premises.
- Propriété Intellectuelle : Intellectual Property.
- Provision : deposit on account in the case of lawyers’ fees or to be paid to a Court appointed Expert, so that he may begin his investigative duties.