23/10/2023
From 9 to 13 October 2023, Brian Cummings, a judge at the Crown Court in Liverpool, and Paul Matthews, a judge at the Business and Property Court in Bristol, took part in a study visit to the Cour de cassation organised as part of the Franco-British-Irish Judicial Cooperation Committee (FBICC).
The Franco-British-Irish Judicial Cooperation Committee organises annual exchanges between judicial authorities to encourage the sharing of information and promote mutual understanding of the judicial and legal systems of the Member States.
To this end, Mr Cummings and Mr Matthews were able to take part in a two-week study visit during which they were able to observe how the French judicial system works. Mr Cummings was welcomed by the Paris public prosecutor's office and the national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office and was able to attend criminal hearings at first instance.
Mr Matthews was welcomed at the Paris Commercial Court and the International Commercial Chamber, where he was able to attend hearings and learn about working methods in these technical areas.
During the week of 9 to 13 October, Judges Cummings and Matthews were hosted at the Cour de cassation.
Mr Cummings and Mr Matthews received a variety of presentations on the workings and composition of the Court of Cassation, cassation techniques, the drafting of opinions, the appeal process and the opinion procedure. They also wanted to see the digital tools available to the Court's councillors and advocates-general, and were shown the Virtual Office.
They also attended presentations of the Court's various departments, such as the procedures department, the documentation, studies and reports department and the reforms department. These in-depth discussions with magistrates from the Court gave them an insight into the different functions of the Court of Cassation and an understanding of its reform and modernisation projects. They also had the opportunity to speak with François Molinié, President of the Ordre des avocats au Conseil d'Etat et à la Cour de cassation, about the role played by lawyers in cassation proceedings.
They then attended a hearing of the Commercial Chamber of the Court of Cassation, chaired by President Vincent Vigneau.
These exchanges between judges promote an efficient dialogue between judges through a better understanding of the different legal systems. This year, magistrates from the Court of Cassation were received in the same context by countries belonging to this network.
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