https://legal.excellentwiki.com/france/evidence/ Recent content in evidence on ExcellentWiki - Legal Encyclopedia Hugo en-US Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://legal.excellentwiki.com/france/evidence/french-evidence-law/ Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://legal.excellentwiki.com/france/evidence/french-evidence-law/ <h2 id="overview">Overview</h2> <p>French evidence law (<em>droit de la preuve</em>) exhibits a fundamental dichotomy between criminal and civil procedure, reflecting the different values at stake in each context. In criminal matters, the principle of freedom of evidence (<em>liberté de la preuve</em>) prevails, subject to procedural guarantees derived from the European Convention on Human Rights. In civil matters, a more structured system governs, characterized by a hierarchy of evidence with a preference for written proof. The codification of civil evidence law was significantly reformed by Ordinance No. 2016-131 of 10 February 2016, which modernized the law of obligations and reorganized the evidentiary provisions in the Civil Code at Articles 1353–1386-9.</p>