Lebanon Laws in English

Lebanon Laws Information

Lebanon laws sit within the civil-law tradition, with codification drawing heavily on the French model adopted during the Mandate period and developed continuously since independence. A distinctive feature of the Lebanese system is the denominational organisation of personal status: each of the country's recognised religious communities — Muslim and Christian — administers the family law of its members through its own courts.

Constitutional framework

The Lebanese Constitution establishes a parliamentary republic with a confessional power-sharing system. Executive authority is vested in a Council of Ministers responsible to the Chamber of Deputies, with the Presidency, the Council Presidency, and the Speakership distributed between the major confessional groups. Fundamental rights include equality before the law, freedom of belief, freedom of expression, freedom of association, and protection of private property.

Sources of law

Statute is the primary source. The Code of Obligations and Contracts governs the law of obligations; the Civil Code addresses property, family, and succession outside the personal-status field. Subordinate legislation provides regulatory detail. Court of Cassation rulings carry strong persuasive authority.

Court structure

The ordinary judiciary comprises courts of first instance, courts of appeal, and a Court of Cassation that sits in civil, commercial, and criminal chambers. Administrative justice is delivered by the Council of State (Conseil d'État). The Constitutional Council reviews the constitutionality of legislation and adjudicates electoral disputes. Personal status is administered by the Shari'a, Druze, and Christian ecclesiastical courts of each recognised community.

Civil and commercial law

The Code of Obligations and Contracts is the principal text on contracts, tort, and the general law of obligations. The Commercial Code addresses merchant status, commercial paper, agency, distribution, and bankruptcy. The Code of Commerce and dedicated statutes on companies, banking, capital markets, and insurance regulate the modern commercial environment.

Banking and finance

Banking is supervised by the Banque du Liban under the Code of Money and Credit. The framework supports a long-established banking sector with both conventional and Islamic finance institutions, and includes provisions on bank secrecy, anti-money-laundering, and capital-markets supervision.

Labour and employment

The Labour Code regulates the individual employment contract, working time, leave, end-of-service indemnity, occupational health and safety, and the resolution of labour disputes through arbitration councils. Public-sector employment is governed by separate civil-service legislation.

Criminal law

The Penal Code defines offences across the conventional categories. The Code of Criminal Procedure governs investigation, examining-magistrate proceedings, prosecution, trial, and appeal. Specialised statutes address economic crime, cybercrime, and anti-money-laundering.

Personal status

Personal status — marriage, divorce, custody, guardianship, and inheritance — is administered by the courts of each recognised community: Sunni and Ja'fari Shari'a courts for Muslims, the Druze religious courts for the Druze community, and the ecclesiastical courts of each recognised Christian denomination. Civil marriage is not formally available within Lebanon, though civil marriages contracted abroad are recognised for civil-status purposes.

Cross-references

For comparative reading on neighbouring civil-law jurisdictions, see Syria laws, Jordan laws, and Egypt laws.

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