La coopération dans le nouveau Code de procédure civile : à la croisée de la procédure civile et de la déontologie
The obligation of cooperation has enacted in the Code of civil procedure in 2016, inspired by the reform English civil procedure. This obligation is at the heart of this analysis which attempts to define this new obligation and to demonstrate its complementarity with the ethical obligation lawyers has pursuant to the Code of professional Conduct. The practical application of cooperation in lawyer’s modern practice is indeed a mix of those two jurisdictions.  In the Code of Civil Procedure, the need for cooperation is described in the preliminary disposition and is expressed as a guiding principle of the procedure at article 20 of the Code. It acts simultaneously with the notions of good faith and abuse of process. The obligation of cooperation is applicable at every step of conflict resolution: to alternative dispute resolution, to pre-judiciary protocol and to case management. The obligation of cooperation also has major repercussions for rules of evidence. When followed properly, it improves not only the research for truth by increasing information exchanges; it also enhances access to justice by reducing the time in court. As a professional obligation, cooperation generally has an impact on lawyer-client relationships and invites the professional to take responsibility for the accomplishment of his functions. However, the professional practice’s landscape does not currently promote cooperation between colleagues, notably because of the commercialisation of legal services and hourly billing. In our opinion though, despite the actual context of legal practice, solutions exist to promote a professional culture based on cooperation.
cooperation civil procedure ethics professional ethics access to justice alternative dispute resolution evidence law commercialisation of legal services lawyer-client relationship civility good faith abuse of process