How does this affect international buyers? Foreign perceptions of the French legal system are often that it is complex and impenetrable. Nevertheless, the code remains the law of the land. Because of piecemeal amendments, the laws are sometimes unclear and inconsistent. Others, notably those regarding women’s status and rights, have been modernized. It remains the basis of some civil codes, for example in the State of Louisiana.Ībout half of the original articles remain as they were written – especially those concerning property and contracts. Previously, more than 400 separate legal codes existed in the different regions. The code imposed a uniform civil law on France. The Napoleonic Code aimed to sweep away privilege based on birth, grant freedom of religion, establish universal property rights, and abolish nepotism in government appointments. It sets out the rules in relation to divorce, inheritance, and property ownership, among other things. The Napoleonic Code is the civil legal framework of France, established in 1804 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
