The DJCE is one of the programmes that business law firms and in-house legal departments in France know by heart. Its name appears on the CVs of many lawyers in corporate, tax or employment law, and on those of group in-house lawyers. It is also a selective programme, whose application is prepared from the bachelor’s degree onwards and whose procedures vary from one centre to another.
This article explains what the DJCE offers and who it is for, what selection panels look at, how to build a suitable academic CV, the cover letter and interview, then the calendar and the mistakes that cost a place.
What the DJCE offers and who it is for
The DJCE, or diplôme de juriste conseil d’entreprise (business legal adviser diploma), was created in 1966. According to the national DJCE website 🔗, it grew out of close collaboration between academics and practitioners, and is now run by a national federation bringing together eleven centres: Bordeaux, Caen, CY Cergy Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy, Paris II, Poitiers, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse.
Its logic comes down to a few features:
- a double qualification: a master 2 in business law (or “business lawyer” depending on the centre) and a university diploma, “DJCE” or “DJCE magistère”, whose teaching is merged;
- applied legal teaching, delivered by academics and by many practitioners (lawyers, in-house counsel, chartered accountants);
- a strong opening towards numbers: tax, accounting and financial analysis, which set the DJCE apart from many business law master’s programmes;
- internships, a dissertation and, every June in Montpellier, specialised study certificates attended by students from all eleven centres, together with a recruitment fair with law firms and companies.
The DJCE is therefore aimed at students who want to advise businesses: business lawyers (corporate, tax, employment, competition, commercial litigation) and in-house lawyers in legal departments. It prepares students both for the CRFPA entrance exam and for direct entry into a company.
Selection criteria and profile of admitted students
Each centre organises its own selection, with its own calendar and panel. Depending on the centre, entry is from the first year of the master’s (over a two-year course) or directly into the master 2. Panels look at broadly the same elements.
Academic results. Bachelor’s grades and, where applicable, master 1 grades are the first filter. Panels look at the average, but also at grades in key subjects: contract law, company law, tax law, employment law. A ranking or a distinction helps place an application.
The consistency of your plans. The DJCE is not simply a “better” business law master’s: it is a programme geared towards advising companies, with a strong tax and accounting component. The panel checks that you know why you are applying.
Openness. Internships in law firms or companies, involvement in student associations, competitions, a period abroad, a double bachelor’s degree (law and economics, law and management): anything that shows you can work outside the lecture theatre.
English. The business law firms that recruit graduates often work in English. A level certified by a test or by a period of study abroad counts.
If you are still hesitating between several programmes, the article which master 2 in law to choose for the career you want places the DJCE among the other routes into business law firms. And if it is accounting and audit that attract you in the DJCE, compare with the choice between a CCA master’s and the DSCG 🔗, which leads to chartered accountancy.
Building a suitable academic CV
The CV attached to the application is not an internship CV. It is a one-page academic CV, which should allow the panel to read your path in under a minute.
The order of sections
- Header: name, contact details and a profile line stating your plans (“master 1 student in business law, applying to the DJCE for a career in tax advisory work”).
- Education: each year of the bachelor’s and master’s, with the institution, the grade or average if it is good, and two or three relevant subjects. A double degree or a university exchange belongs here.
- Experience: internships, student jobs, work-study, described by what you did.
- Activities: associations, law clinic, moot court or negotiation competitions, tutoring.
- Languages and tools: certified level for each language, office software and legal databases.
Precise lines
Panels read many CVs that look alike. What makes the difference is precision.
-
Before: “Internship at a law firm.”
-
After: “Two-month internship at a business law firm, tax team: research on the parent-subsidiary regime, preparation of tax return tracking schedules.”
-
Before: “Member of a student association.”
-
After: “Treasurer of the business law students’ association: annual budget, organisation of two talks with practitioners.”
The pre-filled tax lawyer CV shows where the DJCE sits on a CV once in post, and the article first CV for a law student helps you build the student version when experience is still thin.
Cover letter and interview
The letter
The letter is where the panel looks for your plans. A simple structure works:
- What brought you to business law: a course, an internship, an encounter, in one or two concrete sentences.
- Why the DJCE rather than another master’s: the tax and accounting component, teaching by practitioners, the specialised study certificates, the network.
- Why this centre: its tracks, its partnerships, its favourite certificates, its region if you are aiming for a local bar.
- Your medium-term plans: tax lawyer, in-house lawyer, employment law adviser, while being honest about what remains open.
One page is enough. Avoid phrases that would fit any programme (“a renowned programme of excellence”), which the panel reads in every application.
The interview
When there is one, the interview usually lasts around twenty minutes before academics and practitioners. It covers your background, your plans and sometimes a current legal or economic issue. Prepare:
- a two-minute presentation;
- a precise answer to “why the DJCE?” and “why this centre?”;
- two current topics in business law or tax, with your opinion;
- a calm explanation of a weak grade if your transcript has one.
Calendar and application documents
The calendar depends on the centre and the entry level. For a master’s, applications go through the national platform Mon Master 🔗, with dates common to all programmes; the DJCE’s own file, when there is one, follows each centre’s calendar. Check the dates and required documents on each centre’s page, accessible from the national website.
Documents found almost everywhere:
- transcripts for all years of higher education;
- a one-page CV;
- a cover letter;
- internship certificates and, where applicable, English test results;
- sometimes one or two letters of recommendation.
Prepare them in the autumn before you apply: transcripts and internship certificates often take several weeks.
Common mistakes and plan B
Applying to only one centre. Places are limited in each. Applying to several centres, with a letter adapted to each, is the norm.
Sending the same letter everywhere. The panel immediately spots a generic letter. Mention elements specific to the centre.
Underestimating the numbers side. A candidate who says nothing about their interest in tax and accounting misses the programme’s identity.
Neglecting plan B. A reputable master 2 in business law, a master’s in tax law or a dual degree with a business school also lead to business law firms. Prepare these applications in parallel, with the same care.
To adapt your CV from one application to another without wasting time on layout, the AvocatCV builder keeps a sober academic presentation and produces a clean PDF, readable by screening tools, which you then tailor to each centre.
Frequently asked questions
Is the DJCE only for future avocats?
No. It prepares students as much for in-house legal departments as for law firms. Many graduates sit the CRFPA entrance exam, others go straight into companies.
Do you need a business law track from the bachelor’s degree?
A track oriented towards private and business law helps, but what counts most is your grades in key subjects and the consistency of your plans. A double bachelor’s in law and economics or law and management is an asset.
Can you apply to the DJCE after a master 2?
Some centres consider it depending on places and profiles, but entry is most often in master 1 or master 2 as part of the normal course. Check with the centre concerned.
Does the DJCE give an advantage for the CRFPA entrance exam?
It does not give any exemption. It does, however, prepare you for the business law subjects and offers a network that is useful for internships and the first associate position.