Glossaire J – P

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.