LW112-4-SP-CO:
French Private Law I
2025/26
Essex Law School
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
17 March 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
LW106
(none)
(none)
LW206, LW208
LLB M123 Licence English and French Law (Double Degree)
This module will provide students with a first insight into French private law. It gives a general introduction to French Private Law and especially focuses on key aspects of the French legal system and family law (marriage, transsexuals, surrogacy). Key legal principles such as human dignity and privacy are also discussed.
This module focuses on the techniques of legal writing specific to French law and French legal culture, especially fiche d'arret and cas pratique.
Students will practice the reasoning necessary for these exercises that they have to understand and master before going to France.
The aims of this module are:
- To provide students with the skills to work effectively in French law alongside the English legal system, understanding their key differences and interactions.
- To provide an introduction to the core principles and specific requirements of French private law, offering a foundation for further study.
- To gain a critical understanding of French family law by examining issues such as transsexuality, medically assisted reproduction, adoption, and the relationship between the domestic Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
- To engage students in French legal writing and thinking, helping them develop the ability to analyse and apply French legal principles with confidence.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the key principles and specific requirements of French private law.
- Accurately interpret and apply the French Civil Code in legal analysis and argumentation.
- Critically evaluate current legal and societal issues, such as transsexuality, medically assisted reproduction, and adoption, within the framework of French family law.
- Analyze and assess the relationship between the domestic Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights in shaping French law.
- Develop structured and coherent legal arguments using the methodology of the fiche d’arrêt and cas pratique.
To achieve the module outcomes, students will have lectures that will transmit the necessary knowledge of the French legal system and culture, as well as tutorials that provide the opportunity to demonstrate understanding, reasoning and analytical skills, and to master the technique of the fiche d'arret and cas pratique.
This module will be delivered via:
- 2-hour lectures
- 2-hour tutorials
- 2 pre-recorded videos to watch before the lecture
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Practical |
Continuous Assessment (LW112 Droit privé) |
|
100% |
| Exam |
Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 210 minutes during Early Exams
|
| Exam |
Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 210 minutes during September (Reassessment Period)
|
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Laure Sauve, email: lsauve@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Laure Sauve
The Law Education Admin Team - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk
No
No
Yes
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 878 hours, 54 (6.2%) hours available to students:
824 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Essex Law School
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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