Hello everyone - as a foreign student studying for an LLM in France, what level of French does one need to know to pass the Paris bar? Or is there an alternative easier way to do it.

Hello, to my knowledge there is 4 ways to practice law as a lawyer under the French bar.

1. [b]CRFPA[/b]. Passing the French bar exam called "CRFPA" ([i]Centre Régional de Formation Professionnelle des Avocats[/i]) and then you have 1 year and a half of law school (6 months of law class and 2 x 6 months of traineeship). This exam is pretty tough — even for French students — and [u]requires a very good level[/u] in French because there is a writing exam and an oral exam. This exam is scheduled once a year from September to December, it requires at least a master degree in law and it is limited to 3 attempts. For more info: [French] https://www.cnb.avocat.fr/fr/lexamen-dentree-au-crfpa

2. [b]EU home title[/b]. If you are already admitted as a lawyer under an EU jurisdiction, you can ask to be directly admitted in France under your home title, but you will not hold the French bar qualification. In that case no exam, so [u]no French level required[/u]. For more info: [French] http://www.avocatparis.org/avocats-inscrits-letranger

3. [b]Article 99[/b]. If you are already admitted as a lawyer under an EU jurisdiction you can do an exam in order to "convert" it in French bar. So you will get the French bar qualification. This exam is easier and quicker than the CRFPA and [u]requires an adequate level of French in order to succeed to the writing exam and the oral exam. However, I guess that the French level expectancy is lower than the CRFPA because this exam is ordinary done by non-French people[/u]. This exam is scheduled once a year with [i]HEDAC[/i] (November), twice a year with [i]EFB[/i] (March and October) and limited to 3 attempts. After that exam you have no law school to attend. For more info: [French] https://www.cnb.avocat.fr/fr/admission-dun-avocat-dun-etat-membre-de-lunion-europeenne

4. [b]Article 100[/b]. Idem than Article 99, except that this process is for lawyer not admitted under an EU jurisdiction (like NY for example). For more info: [French] https://www.cnb.avocat.fr/fr/admission-dun-avocat-dun-etat-non-membre-de-lunion-europeenne

Read more?
- Accessing the legal profession in France, CNB Avocat, [English] https://www.cnb.avocat.fr/en/accessing-legal-profession-france
- HEDAC, [French] https://www.hedac.fr/avocats-etrangers/presentation.html
- EFB, [French] http://www.efb.fr/EC_autres_voies.html