Section 4: Appeal procedures

I. - The appeal provided for in Article L. 327-15 is lodged within a period of two months by a written statement lodged in as many copies as there are parties plus one, at the clerk's office of the court of appeal against receipt.

The statement shall specify the particulars prescribed by article 57 of the code of civil procedure on pain of nullity, and a statement of the pleas in law relied upon. Where the statement of appeal does not contain a statement of the pleas in law relied upon, the applicant must, on pain of inadmissibility pronounced ex officio, lodge this statement at the court registry within 15 days of the filing of the statement of appeal. The statement of appeal or the statement of the grounds relied upon shall mention the list of exhibits and supporting documents produced. These exhibits and documents shall be submitted to the Registry of the Court of Appeal at the same time as the statement of appeal or the statement of grounds of appeal. The appellant shall attach a copy of the contested decision to the statement of appeal.

II. - Applications for a stay of execution must be submitted within the same time limit as that set for the appeal. They shall be made to the first president of the court of appeal by simple application lodged at the registry. On pain of inadmissibility, the application must contain a statement of the grounds on which the appeal is based and specify the date on which the appeal was lodged against the decision for which the stay of execution is sought. The First President or his delegate shall set by order the date of the hearing at which the application for a stay of execution will be examined.

III. - As soon as the appeal has been registered, the clerk's office of the court of appeal shall transmit, by any means, to the parties a copy of the statement of appeal and of the list of exhibits and supporting documents produced.

IV. - The First President of the Court of Appeal or his delegate shall fix the time limits within which the parties must communicate their written observations to each other and file a copy thereof at the Registry of the Court of Appeal, as well as the date of the hearing. The clerk's office shall notify the parties of these time limits and this date and shall summon the defendant to the hearing scheduled for the debates, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or under the conditions provided for in Article 692-1 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The clerk's office shall notify the applicant by any means of the place, day and time of the hearing.

The parties may inspect all the documents in the proceedings at the clerk's office of the court of appeal.

V. - At the hearing, the parties are heard in their observations. When the chairman of the supervisory board has not lodged an appeal, he may present oral observations at the hearing after the sanctioned body that lodged the appeal.

VI. - The parties defend themselves. They may be assisted or represented by a lawyer.

VII. - The Court of Appeal may either confirm the decision of the Sanctioning Board, annul it or reform it in whole or in part.

VIII. - The decisions of the Court of Appeal or its first president are notified to the parties by the registry, by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.

VIII.