Civil Law: Obligations, Property, Family and Inheritance
Core concepts
Civil law questions turn on classification and consequence. For obligations, know the sources (contract, unilateral act, unjust enrichment, delict), the requirements of valid consent, the difference between void and voidable transactions, and the rules on assignment, set-off, penalty clauses and damages (actual loss plus lost profit). For property, distinguish ownership from limited rights (usufruct, servitude, mortgage, right of construction), the principle of publicity, and the modes of acquiring ownership, especially derivative transfer by contract requiring form and registration. For family law, master matrimonial property regimes, the marital share on divorce, and parental rights and contact arrangements. For inheritance, know intestate order, forced heirship (reserved share), testamentary forms and revocation, and acceptance with benefit of inventory.
Traps
Questions often test the effect of missing form, the moment ownership passes, whether a preliminary contract binds, and the difference between invalidity and non-performance. In inheritance, watch the reserved share calculation and the treatment of donations as hotchpot. In family law, the trap is the distinction between personal and joint property and how contribution to a spouse's property is compensated.
Rule of thumb
Identify the legal relationship, then the applicable regime, then the remedy. Example: A sells a flat by notarial deed but registration is delayed; ownership passes on registration, yet the buyer may claim performance and damages for delay, and the seller cannot validly sell to a third party in bad faith without consequences.