Ibrahim Najjar

Najjar was born 2 September 1941 in Tripoli, North Lebanon, and is an adherent of the Greek Orthodox Church.^[2]

After high school at St. Joseph's College Antoura and the French Lycée in Beirut, he studied at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut and in France. Ibrahim Najjar has been appointed as full titled professor, after a competitive selection, since March 14, 1969 after teaching law since 1966 at The Faculty of Law He is the author of a thesis (1966) on the "potestative rights" in French law, and of two major law books on Family laws (Successions, wills and gifts) in Lebanon, together with a law Dictionary (French Arabic and Arabic French). Ibrahim Najjar was a visiting professor at Paris 2 Assas, Panthéon Sorbonne, Toulouse and Nantes Universities. In 2016 Ibrahim Najjar published three law books on French private law and Lebanese law studies. In 2018, Najjar published "A letter to Ibrahim" and another book on his experience as minister of justice ("At The Justice Ministry", 2019). In October 2020 and 2025 a new edition of Najjar's "Family Patrimonial Rights" are published in two volumes: "The Gifts. The Theory. The donations. The Wills", and "The Matrimonial Right - The Successions" with important updates. In 2022, an autobiography covering 1941-1990 was published in Arabic, under the title "Choices and Destiny - Parts of a life", followed by "At the Justice Palace"

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Najjar is close to the March 14 movement. He was formerly a Kataeb Party senior official; he founded and presided its students bureau in early 1960s. He was the head of the Kataeb's Koura district bureau from 1973 to 1978. He was member of the Constitutional reform Committee, in his capacity as representative of the Lebanon Phalanges Party (year 1985). This Committee achieved in setting the Lebanese Constitution first part titled "Fundamental Provisions" that was adopted in the constitutional reform of 1990. Since 1966, Najjar is also a law professor at Saint Joseph University.^{[citation needed]} His numerous writings in the famous Dalloz Encyclopedia, the Dalloz Bulletin and the French Revue Trimestrielle de droit civil - he is still its Lebanon correspondent - are well known. Najjar is the owner and editor of The Lebanese Review of Arab And International Arbitration since 1996; he also published during more than 30 years the Saint Joseph Faculty of Law Journal, Proche Orient Etudes Juridiques, since 1975. The National medal for Human rights was attributed to Najjar in 2010 after his draft law to abolish death penalty in Lebanon. Najjar was also elected to get the Medal of honor of the St Joseph University. In June 2013, he was made Officer of the Legion of Honor by the French President of Republic; in July 2015 he was granted the decoration of Commandor of the Spanish order of Isabella the Catholic. Since October 2, 2017, Najjar is vice president of the International Commission against the Death Penalty. Since June 29, 2016, Najjar is emeritus professor at the Faculty of Law of the Saint Joseph University, Lebanon. In June 2017 he was appointed as President of the Disciplinary Board of the Special Tribunal For Lebanon for a period of two years. This appointment was renewed for a period of two years starting June 21, 2019. In 2018, he founds an NGO "Ibrahim Najjar For Culture and Freedom” to promote the restoration of the rule of law and an education focused on the freedom and fundamental human rights. Najjar was appointed Minister of Justice in July 2008 to the cabinet headed by then prime minister Fouad Siniora. In November 2009, he was again named minister of Justice in the cabinet led by then prime minister Saad Hariri. His term of three years at the ministry of Justice is considered one of the most fruitful period for the judiciary and the promotion of draft laws in many fields (arbitrary detention, human rights, successions and wills, Lebanese citizenship for the generations of Lebanese ascent, the transformation of the justice ministry into a ministry for freedom and human rights). Moreover, two major judiciary permutations were conducted by him in 2009 and 2010 after having been frozen for several years, and the judges’ remunerations were almost doubled in 2011 in order to upgrade their status. Najjar's tenure ended in June 2011, and was succeeded by Shakib Qortbawi as justice minister. In August 2023 Najjar is appointed by the Prime minister to preside over the Special Committee to revise the Code of Money and Credit. In June 2026 he was appointed as member of the Presidential Advisory Council of the Holy Spirit University (USEK)..

Here is a complete summary of his thought, work, and influence Ibrahim Najjar's doctrinal approach to French law, encompassing all elements developed previously.

Doctrinal synthesis: The influence of Ibrahim Najjar in French private law Former Lebanese minister and professor emeritus, Ibrahim Najjar is a A major figure in French-language civil law [ fr.wikipedia.org ]. Trained in a graduate of the University of Paris and a disciple of Professor Pierre Raynaud, he has developed a body of doctrinal work that continues to be authoritative in France, both in academic research (theses) and in the Legal practice (codes and journals). Its influence is structured around two main pillars: the general theory of obligations and family property law. ________________________________________ I. General Theory of Obligations and Pre-Contracts In the theory of obligations, the thought of Ibrahim Najjar is considered in France as one of the finest contributions of the last half a century to analyze the boundary between unilateral will and the contractual link. 1. The theory of potestative rights and unilateral acts Ibrahim Najjar's main legacy to the theory of obligations lies in the conceptualization of potestative law, as defined in his thesis Historical background: The right of option: a contribution to the study of law potestative and unilateral act (LGDJ). • Doctrinal definition: He defines potestative law as the civil power to influence a pre-existing legal situation by modifying it, turning it off, or creating a new one, solely through of a unilateral act of will. • Absence of a corresponding obligation: Unlike a right of claim classic (which requires a certain behavior from the debtor), potestative law is imposed on the other party without the latter having any particular obligation to fill, if not to undergo the change (situation of subjection). • Contemporary applications: This analytical framework is constantly exploited by modern theories in the law of obligations and in law cases to explain the stock option regime, clauses cancellation clauses, substitution clauses, or resolution mechanisms unilateral. 2. The pre-contractual period: "The agreement in principle" The formation of obligations owes much to its key article, " The agreement in principle” (Dalloz Collection 1991), which remains the basis Theory of the preliminary contract in France. • In doctoral theses on contract negotiation or the interpretation of the clauses, its formula is systematically cited to define the boundary of the commitment: "agreement on the principle Therefore, it is not a final contract, but it is already a commitment which "may eventually lead to that." • He thus demonstrated that the agreement in principle is not a simple a negotiation document, but already an obligation to negotiate in good faith), participating in the construction of the regime of the rupture of talks. 3. Special obligations: Mandate and Banking Law Beyond pure theory, Ibrahim Najjar applied his concepts to Special contracts, which strongly influence positive law: • The irrevocable mandate: In his study "Mandate and Irrevocability" (Dalloz 2003), he analyzed the "dangerousness" of the stipulated mandate irrevocable, showing how unilateral will can become alienated itself within a representational mechanism. • The banks' obligation to provide information: Its notes major case law under the rulings of the Commercial Chamber members of the Court of Cassation actively participated in the construction of the banker's obligation to advise and warn in the face of speculative risks. ________________________________________ II. Family Property Law and Publishing Influence The second pillar of his work concerns inheritances and generosity, a field in which his writings serve as references classics within the most prestigious French publications. 1. The Dalloz directories and doctrinal updates Ibrahim Najjar is the historical author and editor of several major sections of the Dalloz Civil Law Repertory, particularly on the themes of donations, wills and agreements on future succession. His analyses are regularly cited in the footnotes from annotated civil codes. 2. A continuous literary and scientific production The relevance of his writings can be measured by the enduring nature of his works. of synthesis, regularly reissued and praised by the doctrine French-speaking: • Family Property Law: Published in two substantial volumes ("Gifts. General Theory. Wills. Donations" and " "Matrimonial Law. Successions"), this work serves as a doctrinal bridge major for Franco-Lebanese comparative law. • Writings on French Private Law: This trilogy comprises several decades of case commentary, feature articles and articles published in France (notably in the Quarterly Review of civil law, of which he was the historical correspondent in Lebanon [ fr.wikipedia.org ]). Its scientific rigor is celebrated there both for its technical scope as well as the clarity of its writing, sometimes described of "lawyer-poet"