At the end of April, understanding and accessing your legal rights in France became easier thanks to a new mobile app launched by the French government called ‘Justice.Fr’.
The aim of the ‘Justice.Fr’ app is to make accessing legal and judicial assistance easier and provide accessible information for all. The app is free to download for iPhones, Apple devices and Androids. It is being released in stages, with plans to add additional content in 2024.
Currently there are five things that the app can be used for:
1. Finding a nearby ‘justice point’ to seek legal aid
- The app will use geolocation to help a user locate a nearby ‘justice point’ to seek legal assistance over a matter.
- There are over 2,000 justice points included, these are mostly courts or mairies situated across France.
2. Check your legal rights on an issue:
- A database of “thematic files” containing an overview of legal rights and procedures on a number of matters.
- Around 8,000 of these files are included, which takes information directly from the services-publiques.fr website.
- The files cover topics including family rights and civil law, road offences, and employee rights, and can be used as a first-step before accessing any legal aid.
3. Simulate legal financial aid:
- The app will include simulators to help calculate whether you are eligible for financial help in certain areas.
- You can input information and see if you are entitled to legal aid, alimony, or unpaid wages, among others.
4. Call legal helplines and emergency numbers:
- The app will allow you to make calls directly to a number of services related to the justice system.
- These include the free number to obtain anonymous legal aid (30 39), as well as the victim support helpline (116 006).
- You will also be able to make a direct call to the women’s support helpline for domestic violence (39 19) free of charge and anonymously.
5. Use a legal directory to find assistance:
- the app contains a legal directory containing the contact details of a number of specialists.
- The list includes lawyers, bailiffs (known as judicial commissioners on the app), notaires, and conciliators of justice (who seek to find amicable solutions to disputes).
There is an introductory video (in French) which explains the app in more detail.