The French legal system is based on the civil law tradition which has at its core five codes: civil, civil procedure, commercial, criminal, and criminal procedure. Numerous additional codes address other matters; all are available in French on the government's Legifrance site. The five major codes, and several others, are also available in English at the Legifrance site. Of course, the English translations are not authoritative; in other words, in any conflict between the two versions, the French version prevails.
See also the collection of translated statutes and cases at The University of Texas's Institute for Transnational Law.
As a member of the European Union, France must also incorporate EU law into its legal system. This body of law will not be discussed in this guide. For information on researching EU law, see the Law Library guide on that topic.
There is a paper English translation available, The French Civil Code, translated with an introduction by John H. Crabb. Rev. ed. (as amended to Jan. 1, 1994) (1995). KJV 444 .21804 .A52 1995. The online translation (more current) is available from here.
Nouveau code de procedure civile et Code de procedure civile. (Paris: Jurisprudence generale Dalloz). Began with 1976 vol. Annual. KJV 3932.2 .F73x. An English translation is: French Code of Civil Procedure in English, translated by Christian Dodd (2004- ). KJV3932.51975 .F74x. The online translation (more current) is available from here.
Code de commerce (Paris: Jurisprudence generale Dalloz). Annual. KJV 2193.6 .F73. An English translation is French Commercial Code in English. (Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications, c2004- .) KJV2194.31807 .F74x. The online translation (more current) is available from here.
Code penal annote d'apres la doctrine et la jurisprudence, avec renvois aux publications Dalloz. LAW Foreign Language (Official). A translation is: The French Penal Code of 1994 as Amended as of January 1, 1999, translated by Edward A. Tomlinson; with an introduction by Edward A. Tomlinson (Littleton, Colo.: Fred B. Rothman, 1999). KJV 7974 .31992 A52 1999. The online translation (more current) is available from here.
Code de procedure penale. (Paris: Jurisprudence generale Dalloz). Began with 1960 ed. Annual KJV 8412.2 .F7. The most recent translation at the Library is The French Code of Criminal Procedure, translated by Gerald L. Kock and Richard S. Frase; with an introduction by Richard S. Frase. Rev. ed. (Littleton, Colo.: F.B. Rothman, 1988). KJV 8412 .41957 .A52 1988. See also Comparative Criminal Procedure ( KJC 9405 .C66x 1996). The online translation (more current) is available from here.