So - a little time out from the standard "this is what I've been up to" post to recommend a little book I've been browsing - if you are a Law student and you are off to study law in France for a year, I really think it's worth getting hold of and having a flick through. It might be in your uni library - I'm fairly sure I have seen it on the shelf at QM - and of course, there's always amazon.
It's called 'French Law: A Comparative Approach", by Eva Steiner (2010, OUP), and its a pretty good introduction to the mysterious ways of the French legal system. I recommend this one in particular because, as a comparison, it makes it pretty easy for us English Law Kids to understand, using our law studies so far as a reference point, covering legal institutions and methodology as well as some of your legal basics - administrative law, contract, tort etc.
It's also got a section on legal education, explaining how it differs from what we're all used to, and offers a few study tips for les cours magistrals and les travaux dirigés (lectures and tutorials), and also how to answer French problem questions (cas pratiques), essay questions and case studies (un commentaire d'arrêt).
It's this chapter which I have found particularly helpful. We're going to be covering French legal methodology etc. next week in my semaine d'integration, but I am one of those people who likes to go in prepared and I feel like knowing some of this stuff will prevent me from feeling completely out of my depth and make for a much smoother start to my year.
Having been here in Paris for just over a fortnight already, and that time having been all my own, so far it has felt a little bit like I'm on holiday, and as that will all change dramatically from Monday onwards, I'm hoping that at the very least, the prep. I have done will lessen the shock to my system, even just a little.
I will probably post again near the end of next week about my first few days at Assas and whatever else I get up to in the meantime. Here's hoping it's not too stressful!
Vicky xx
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