Droit études

The Bachelor of Law program comprises 180 credits spread over 3 annual blocks.

It is built around three objectives:

  • Acquire legal skills from the start of the curriculum and refine them later

From the very beginning of your course, you take legal teaching units (UE) that give you a clear vision of law studies and your future career as a lawyer. Alongside these legal courses, non-legal courses are offered, in subjects that enrich law and foster the open-mindedness and general culture that is the hallmark of any university student (history, philosophy, sociology, economics...).

  • Putting legal skills into practice

Throughout the bachelor's degree, and in a progressive way, you are led to put into practice the theoretical notions seen in lectures.

Exercise sessions consist of solving practical cases mobilizing the subjects seen which, although adapted to your level of study, are similar to those faced by lawyers, judges, in-house counsel, notaries, etc.

By writing assignments on a legal topic, you will learn to find the sources of the law (in codes, library books, properly targeted internet sources...), understand them and exploit them by developing a well-founded, argued and convincing legal reasoning.

  • Strengthen your knowledge of languages

Dutch and English are each the subject of a compulsory UE and benefit from specific pedagogical support.

Teaching methods

Effective time management, a pleasant and constructive group work climate, closeness to teachers, the development of critical skills and a concern for in-depth understanding of the subjects taught form the bedrock of the methods implemented.

Practically, this means:

  • teaching that facilitates interaction and analysis of practical cases;
  • real-life situations via mock trials, drafting of conclusions and consultations similar to those of lawyers;
  • exercise and rehearsal sessions in small groups with documents to read and exercises to prepare;
  • group question-and-answer sessions in the auditorium;
  • individual or small-group coaching for writing legal assignments;
  • attendances or interviews by appointment to answer your questions or address your learning difficulties;
  • examination paper consultation sessions after each assessment session;
  • a pedagogical coordinator who acts as your interface with the training players and oversees the progress of your program (feedback on lessons, individual follow-up for methodological questions and time management...);
  • access to the full range of support services offered by UNamur to daytime students (the Cellule Médico-Psychologique [CMP], the Département Éducation et Technologie [DET] and the Cellule interfacultaire d'appui pédagogique [CIAP]...);
  • the most comprehensive "course supports" possible, for the benefit, among others, of students who are unable to attend all courses;
  • digital support: internet and intranet sites that centralize all available information (Bureau Virtuel de l'Etudiant [BVE]), a communication application (Teams) and a virtual campus (WebCampus) where each teacher defines, for his or her courses, the objectives, teaching and assessment methods and meeting arrangements, and offers his or her "course material" (syllabus, slide shows, documents, exam answer keys, discussion forum...).
  • a choice of two examination dates (barring exceptions) scheduled in the first session for each teaching unit.
Droit études

Duration and organization of studies

The Bachelor of Law program comprises 180 credits spread over 3 annual blocks

If you have a similar background (credits acquired in previous studies), you can obtain dispenses for certain subjectsor even enroll directly beyond the first 60-credit block.

For duly attested professional, academic, social or medical reasons, you can also opt for a reduction in their study program.

Course and examination timetables are organized in such a way that training can be compatible with the demands of working life.

A dozen hours of classes a week are spread over three evenings from 6pm to 9pm and Saturday mornings from 9am to 1pm and possibly from 2pm to 5pm. This program opens the right to paid educational leave.

After the baccalauréat: the master's degree

Studying on a staggered timetable gives access to the same degrees as those completed during the day (master's degree in law on a staggered timetable or during the day, master's degree in criminology, master's degree in political science...).

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Les métiers des juristes

Métiers des juristes

Legal professions

A constantly changing profession

Legal professions are evolving. It's no longer just a matter of intervening in litigation to defend a party or settle a dispute. Lawyers are also the advisors who prevent conflict by scrutinizing the applicable legislation or finalizing a contractual approach. Increasingly, they are called upon to intervene in non-judicial dispute resolution procedures, such as mediation.

Another notable development is internationalization. More and more cases have a foreign element, or are subject to supranational law such as European Union law. Finally, the development of information technologies is changing the day-to-day work of lawyers, while opening up new fields of specialization within the law.

The omnipresence of law in social and economic life explains the diversity of career opportunities open to legal professionals.

The professions of the lawyer

Lawyers are versatile professionals. The functions described here represent the core of the legal profession, but the list of outlets is far from exhaustive.

The judiciary

Magistrates are appointed for life by the King. There are two categories among them, the public prosecutor and the judges.

  • The Public Prosecutor's Office

    Public prosecutors (known as "auditeurs" in first-degree labor courts) and their substitutes, grouped together in the Public Prosecutor's Office (also known as "the standing magistracy" or "the public prosecutor's office"), are in charge of public order. These magistrates prosecute offenders, coordinate police investigations, summon defendants to court and ensure that sentences are carried out. They intervene in economic and financial matters, environmental issues, computer crime, youth protection, social legislation offences... and of course in common law cases (traffic, vice, theft, assault...).

    The public prosecutor may also be called upon to advise the court on the appropriate resolution of the dispute, in family matters, labor or social security law or in certain commercial cases.

  • Judges

    Judges (also known as the "magistrature assise" or "the bench") are responsible for adjudicating disputes between individuals (in civil or social law matters) and judging those prosecuted for offenses (in criminal matters). Judges are appointed to various courts and tribunals, including justices of the peace, police courts, courts of first instance, labor courts, commercial courts, courts of appeal, labor courts and the Court of Cassation. Increasingly, judges are also playing a conciliatory role. Outside their hearings, judges study their cases, carry out the appropriate research and draft their judgments. Most judges are specialized. For example, police court judges mainly settle disputes relating to traffic offences and compensation for the consequences of road accidents; labor courts have jurisdiction over disputes between employers and workers, or in matters of safety and social welfare; justices of the peace hear rental disputes, relations between neighbors, and the protection of the mentally ill, among other matters; the family court has jurisdiction to settle family disputes and ensure the protection of children.

    To become a magistrate, the main routes are, on the one hand, the competitive examination for admission to the judicial internship (followed by a 24-month internship) for those presenting at least two years' experience in a legal profession, and on the other hand the professional aptitude examination (allowing immediate appointment) for those demonstrating at least five years' experience in a legal profession to become a member of the public prosecutor's office and at least ten years to become a judge.

  • Notaries

    The mission of notaries is to avoid conflicts between people wishing to reach agreements in the fields of real estate (purchase/sale of property, loans...), family (marriage contracts, gifts, inheritance...) and business (incorporation of companies, mergers...). They listen, advise and give opinions. They draw up authentic deeds that record agreements in writing, in a form that is legally unassailable. To embark on a career as a notary, you need, among other things, to pass a master's degree specializing in notarial practice and complete a three-year internship with an appointed notary.

  • Lawyers

    Lawyers are self-employed individuals charged with advising clients facing legal problems in their private or professional lives, in strict compliance with legislation and ethical rules. Lawyers can assist their clients from the conception and launch of a project (drafting opinions and contracts) through to the various stages of dispute resolution (negotiation, mediation, legal proceedings). Their tasks are varied: researching legislation, case law and doctrine, drafting numerous written documents (letters, conclusions), organizing conciliation meetings, taking part in expert appraisals, pleadings... The lawyer's profession sometimes presents faces that are less familiar to the general public. For example, it is often lawyers who act as bankruptcy trustees, liquidators of a vacant estate, debt mediators, or administrators of the assets of vulnerable persons...

    Lawyers newly admitted to the Bar must complete a three-year internship with an experienced lawyer before they can join the roll of the Ordre and practice the profession on their own. Many lawyers, however, choose to create or join associations, which in particular enables them to offer more specialized and diversified services.

  • Bailiffs

    Bailiffs are public officers who intervene at various stages of legal proceedings. They communicate procedural documents to litigants (summonses, judgments, etc.). They are also responsible for enforcing court decisions, possibly through seizure. They draw up statements of facts (adultery, certain products on offer, unauthorized use of a brand name on a website, etc.). Their image is unfairly negative. In reality, they can play a conciliatory role, guaranteeing equal treatment for those subject to the law, while respecting everyone's rights. Law graduates can become bailiffs after two years' training and passing a competitive examination. After five years, they can then apply for a
    vacant position as a "titular" bailiff.

Lawyers in public and private organizations

  • Company lawyers

    Companies in general (industry, banking, insurance, telecommunications...) employ many lawyers in their various departments (human resources management, litigation, regulations...). Only members of the Institut des juristes d'entreprise can hold the corresponding title. These specialists are consulted on a daily basis by their employers on all legal issues (commercial, tax, environmental, social, etc.). For example, they advise on drafting and negotiating contracts. They also intervene in the event of litigation, although they do not represent the company in court, as they are not lawyers. Finally, they guarantee the legality of the various decision-making procedures within the company (they prepare boards of directors, for example).

  • Officials

    In public services at federal, regional, community, provincial or municipal level (federal public services - SPF, CPAS, ONEM, Forem...), lawyers prepare opinions for managers on matters specific to their administration, focusing on the legal aspects. They play an active role in the preparation of legislative and regulatory texts.

  • Lawyers in organizations

    Depending on their specialties, lawyers are also invaluable advisors in the non-commercial world and in associations (mutual societies, trade unions, consumer associations...), as well as in international organizations (European Commission, UN, International Court of Justice...).

The police

Frequent outlets for lawyers include the police, both in operational (investigations) and administrative settings.

Research and teaching

Some law graduates pursue a research activity in Belgium or abroad. Universities and public funds (e.g. FNRS) finance the completion of a doctorate (usually four years). Alongside other forms of fundamental legal research, "applied" research is generally based on partnerships with companies or public institutions that wish to develop new products or services and have questions about the legal framework. For example, what legal constraints need to be taken into account when setting up an internet sales service, what rules apply to the use of artificial intelligence by the judicial system?

Finally, some lawyers teach in high schools, in higher education or in the world of continuing education.