Civil Law and Civil Procedure
Civil law core
The Civil Code governs persons, transactions, obligations, property, and inheritance. Master: capacity and legal capacity, forms of transactions (oral, simple written, notarized), invalidity (void versus voidable), representation and power of attorney, limitation periods, and the general rules of contract (offer, acceptance, consideration-like cause, performance, breach, damages). Know property rights: ownership, possession, servitudes, mortgage, and the distinction between movable and immovable property (registration of immovables).
Obligations and remedies
Distinguish contractual from delictual liability. Damages cover actual loss and lost profit; moral harm is compensable. Understand the rules on unjust enrichment, assignment of claims, and security (pledge, guarantee, deposit).
Civil procedure
Know the structure of the courts of general jurisdiction, subject-matter and territorial jurisdiction, the contents of a claim, the burden of proof (each party proves what it asserts), the role of the judge in case management, time limits for appeal and cassation, and the enforcement stage.
Traps and rule of thumb
Traps: mixing void and voidable transactions; forgetting that limitation periods are generally three years and that the court does not apply them ex officio; confusing appeal (facts and law) with cassation (law only). Rule of thumb: identify the legal relationship, then the applicable norm, then the remedy, then the procedural step.