Bachelor in Law (Evenings and Weekends Schedule)

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.