Section 1: Orientation of the case

Subject to the provisions of Article 1108, on the day of the orientation hearing, the case shall be called before the president of the chamber seised or to which the case has been distributed. The latter shall discuss the status of the case with the lawyers present, asking them in particular whether they intend to enter into a participatory procedure agreement for the purposes of preparing the case for trial…

Where the parties and their lawyers prove that they have concluded a participatory procedure agreement for the purposes of preparing the case for hearing, the President shall take the measures provided for in the second paragraph of Article 1546-1. Except in the case of removal from the list, he appoints the Pre-Trial Judge. .

The president shall refer to the oral hearing those cases which, on the basis of the lawyers’ explanations and in view of the submissions exchanged and the exhibits communicated, appear to him to be ready to be judged on the merits. He shall also refer to the oral hearing those cases in which the defendant does not appear if they are ready to be judged on the merits, unless he…

The President may decide that the lawyers will appear before him again, on a hearing date that he fixes, to confer on the case one last time if he considers that a final exchange of submissions or a final communication of exhibits is sufficient to put the case in order or that the parties’ submissions must be brought into conformity with the provisions of Article 768. The parties may also…