Business and Justice Info

In a recent interview, Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie called forward to welcoming the adoption of the draft law on reform of the representation before the appellate courts, by the end of the year.
To the Minister of Justice, “it is imperative” that the bill, which was debated on second reading in the National Assembly should intervene in the coming year, “be adopted before the end of the year,” because at first January 2011, will automatically become solicitors lawyers and litigants will be represented before the Court of Appeal by counsel who represented them at trial or other counsel of jurisdiction of the Court.

“For employees of solicitors, their compensation is the subject of an Assembly-Senate agreement, and some will be reclassified on items offered by the ministry,” held to clarify the minister.

Concerning the reform of legal aid, the Minister of Justice says it wants to improve the use by individuals with legal protection insurance.
She recalled that “in a democracy, nobody should be prevented from asserting his rights for financial reasons,” and was “in discussions with insurance companies to better link the recourse to legal aid in civil matters with legal insurance contracts.

Finally on the subject of interprofessionnalité and competitive legal profession, Michele Alliot-Marie said that “increasing the competitiveness of firms,” it worked “for the alignment of occupations through equity shareholding which give the opportunity for different professions (lawyers, notaries, bailiffs, auctioneers court) to bring their capital to a holding company while allowing each to retain its own identity.”