A ''huissier de justice'' (literally

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for "justice usher"), sometimes

anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

as judicial officer, is an

officer of the court In common law jurisdictions, the generic term officer of the court is applied to all those who, in some degree in the function of their professional or similar qualifications, have a part in the legal system. Officers of the court may include ent ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and The officer is appointed by a magistrate of the court (or in France, by the Minister of Justice) and holds a monopoly on the service and execution of court decisions and enforceable instruments. Huissiers de justice also serve as formal witnesses to events (''constat d'huissier'') in the manner of a notary public. As a member of the legal profession, (s)he acts in the

service of process Service of process is the procedure by which a party to a lawsuit gives an appropriate notice of initial legal action to another party (such as a defendant), court, or administrative body in an effort to exercise jurisdiction over that person s ...

, responsible for delivering such documents and authenticating parties to whom they are delivered; proceeds in the enforcement and recovery of any court and legal claims, including

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

, property claims,

seizures An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or neural oscillation, synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much o ...

, and

eviction Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortgage ...

s; issues court summonses (assignments and quotations); and performs other actions. He may also exercise authorizations of a

Court of Appeals A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

, and act in insurance and property actions. He has the monopoly right to call police hearings to guarantee execution of court orders, and to conduct non-monopoly activities such as amicable settlements, draft findings of private deeds, and offer limited legal advice. He also can authenticate character findings which may serve as evidence during litigation. Some elements of his statements cannot be challenged except by way of improbation.

References

External links

International Union of Judicial Officers

Huissiers de Justice

Chambre des huissiers de justice du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

Koninklijke Beroepsorganisatie van Gerechtsdeurwaarders

Nationale Kamer van Gerechtsdeurwaarders (Belgium)

Conferentie Vlaamse Gerechtsdeurwaarders (Flanders)

la Chambre des huissiers de justice du Québec
*
(pdf)
Handbook of the

Hague Service Convention The Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters, more commonly called the Hague Service Convention, is a multilateral treaty that was adopted in The Hague, The Netherlands, on 15 Nove ...

— explains the difference between ''signification'' and ''notification'' in legal systems based on the Napoleonic Code
Definitions of French legal system roles

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huissier, Justice Law of France Region-specific legal occupations