Legal AI for Lawyers in Peru: Civil Code, CPC and Constitutional Court

The Peruvian Legal Framework

The Peruvian legal system's core is the Civil Code of 1984 (D.Leg. 295), which significantly modernized private law. The Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) of 1993 establishes an oral-written system with hearings, and the Constitutional Court (TC) interprets the 1993 Constitution.

Procedural Structure: The 1993 CPC

• Full proceedings (Art. 475 CPC): For complex or high-value claims; conciliation and trial hearings
• Abbreviated proceedings (Art. 486 CPC): Supplementary title, third-party claims, compensation 50-300 URP
• Summary proceedings (Art. 546 CPC): Alimony, consensual separation, interdiction, up to 50 URP
• Executive proceedings (Art. 688 CPC): Promissory notes, bills of exchange, public deeds, arbitral awards

Civil Code of 1984: Obligations and Contracts

• Theory of obligations (Arts. 1132-1350 CC): Debtor's default requires notice unless agreed (Art. 1333 CC)
• Civil liability (Arts. 1969-1988 CC): Fault-based (Art. 1969) and objective for hazardous activities (Art. 1970); non-economic damage compensable (Art. 1984 CC)
• Nominate contracts: Sale (Art. 1529), lease (Art. 1666), loan (Art. 1648), suretyship (Art. 1868)
• Legal act (Arts. 140-232 CC): Void acts (Arts. 219-220) and voidable acts (Arts. 221-229); consent defects

SUNARP Registry System and Constitutional Court

The SUNARP registry system protects registry publicity (Art. 2012 CC) and public faith (Art. 2014 CC), protecting good-faith third parties.

The TC issues binding precedents (Art. VII Constitutional CPC). Reference cases: Exp. 00014-2007-PI/TC (free contracting), Exp. 02835-2010-PA/TC (labor reinstatement), Exp. 03741-2004-AA/TC (administrative diffuse review).

Criminal Procedure: The 2004 NCPP

The New Code of Criminal Procedure (D.Leg. 957), adversarial system:

• Preparatory investigation: directed by Prosecutor (Art. 342 NCPP: 120 extendable days)
• Intermediate stage: Indictment review and dismissal (Art. 344 NCPP)
• Oral trial with full orality and immediacy
• Early termination (Art. 468 NCPP): 1/6 sentencing discount

The Peruvian Law Firm in the Digital Age

• Case law research: search in SPIJ, Dialogue with Jurisprudence, and TC repository
• Brief drafting: complaints with CPC structure; criminal briefs under NCPP
• Deadline management: alerts for investigative deadlines, statutes of limitations (Art. 80 CP), and appeals
• Contract analysis: identification of void and voidable acts under the Civil Code

Peru is advancing in judicial digitalization (PJ Digital, Electronic Filing System). Legal AI democratizes legal excellence, allowing Peruvian lawyers to compete with large firms' resources.