The Changing Terminology of French Law

Learn the latest French legal terminology changes from recent Civil and Criminal Code reforms, including November 2025 updates.

In the past 20 years, French legal terminology evolved: the core part of the French Civil Code (on the law of obligations) has been completely rewritten, the French Code of Civil Procedure has undergone significant changes, and some courts have been renamed while others have been eliminated. Furthermore, the entire Code of Criminal Procedure is being rewritten, with additional changes made to the names of several longstanding courts. This means that older dictionaries and reference materials, such as the excellent ones produced by the Council of Europe in the 1990s, are hopelessly out of date, and internet searches can also be misleading unless the materials you find online indicate the date on which they were drafted. This webinar provides a concise overview of these changes, with clear explanations by prominent lawyer-translator and past ATA President Tom West.

You will learn how to:

1. Update your knowledge of key terms in modern French law.
2. Explain recent terminology changes to clients with confidence.
3. Receive a practical handout summarizing the major updates.

About the Presenter

Tom West received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia Law School, was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1990, and practiced law for five years before starting a legal translation company. He has more than 35 years of experience as a legal translator and has taught legal translation at Georgia State University, Kent State University, and Montclair State University. He is a popular presenter at ATA conferences and around the world. He is ATA-certified for translation from French, Spanish, German, and Dutch into English.