The Most Famous
LAWYERS from France
Top 4
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary French Lawyers of all time. This list of famous French Lawyers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Carlo Buonaparte (1746 - 1785)
With an HPI of 74.03, Carlo Buonaparte is the most famous French Lawyer. His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.
Carlo Maria Buonaparte or Charles-Marie Bonaparte (27 March 1746 – 24 February 1785) was a Corsican attorney best known as the father of Napoleon Bonaparte and grandfather of Napoleon III. Buonaparte served briefly as a personal assistant to revolutionary leader Pasquale Paoli, fighting with the Corsican forces against the Genoese republic and later the French invasion. With the island becoming French, Buonaparte eventually rose to become in 1777 Corsica's representative to the court of Louis XVI. Twenty years after his death, his second surviving son, Napoleon, became Emperor of the French. Several of Buonaparte's other children received royal titles from their brother and married into royalty.
2. Louis Renault (1843 - 1918)
With an HPI of 70.05, Louis Renault is the 2nd most famous French Lawyer. His biography has been translated into 61 different languages.
Louis Renault (21 May 1843 – 8 February 1918) was a French jurist and educator, and the co-winner in 1907 (with Ernesto Teodoro Moneta) of the Nobel Prize for Peace. Renault was born at Autun. From 1868 to 1873, Renault was professor of Roman and commercial law at the University of Dijon. From 1873 until his death, he was professor in the faculty of law at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) and the University of Paris, where in 1881 he became professor of international law. In 1890, he was appointed jurisconsult of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a post created for him in which he scrutinized French foreign policy in the light of international law. He served at numerous conferences in this capacity, notably at the two Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907) and the London Naval Conference (1908–1909). Renault was prominent as an arbitrator, his more famous cases including the Japanese House Tax case of 1905, the Casa Blanca Case of 1909, the Sarvarkar Case of 1911, the Carthage case of 1913, and the Manouba case of 1913. Among his writings are articles and monographs on the specialized topics of international law. Together with his friend and colleague C. Lyon-Caen, he produced several works on commercial law, including a compendium in two volumes, a treatise in eight volumes, and a manual that ran to many editions. In 1879, Renault published his Introduction to the Study of International Law and in 1917 First Violations of International Law by Germany, concerning the invasion of Belgium and of Luxembourg in breach of Germany's treaty obligations.
3. Jean Domat (1625 - 1696)
With an HPI of 52.24, Jean Domat is the 3rd most famous French Lawyer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Jean Domat, or Daumat (30 November 1625 – 14 March 1696) was a French jurist.
4. René David (1906 - 1990)
With an HPI of 49.69, René David is the 4th most famous French Lawyer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
René David (January 12, 1906 in Jura, France – May 26, 1990 in Le Tholonet, France) was a French Professor of Law. His work has been published in eight different languages. He was, in the second half of the 20th century, one of the key representatives in the field of comparative law.
People
Pantheon has 4 people classified as French lawyers born between 1625 and 1906. Of these 4, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased French lawyers include Carlo Buonaparte, Louis Renault, and Jean Domat. As of April 2024, 1 new French lawyers have been added to Pantheon including Jean Domat.
Deceased French Lawyers
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Carlo Buonaparte
1746 - 1785
HPI: 74.03
Louis Renault
1843 - 1918
HPI: 70.05
Jean Domat
1625 - 1696
HPI: 52.24
René David
1906 - 1990
HPI: 49.69
Newly Added French Lawyers (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Lawyers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Lawyers since 1700.
