Among French master’s degrees in law, the one in notarial law has a particular feature: it does not merely prepare for a profession, it opens the door directly to the professional training that leads to it. Since the reform of access to the notarial profession, an approved master’s in notarial law gives automatic access to the higher diploma in notarial studies. This position explains its selectivity, and the care panels take to check candidates’ plans.
This article describes the master’s place in access to the notarial profession, the courses taken, how selection works, the internship in a notarial office it includes, career options beyond becoming a notary, then the academic CV that suits an application.
The master’s place in access to the notarial profession
The path to the notarial profession is now organised in two stages: a master’s in law, then the higher diploma in notarial studies (DESN), prepared over twenty-four months of work-study as a trainee notary in an office.
The master’s in notarial law has a special place in this scheme. According to the Institut national des formations notariales 🔗, access to the DESN is automatic for holders of a master’s in notarial law approved by the INFN, and subject to selection by a national committee for holders of another master’s in law. Approved master’s programmes comply with the order of 5 July 2023 on the DESN, as the universities that offer them point out.
In practice, the master’s in notarial law is not compulsory to become a notary, but it is by far the safest route. A student who aims for the notarial profession without this master’s will have to convince a national committee, often with a less readable application.
The article becoming a notary presents the whole path, from the bachelor’s degree to the possible statuses after the diploma.
Family, real estate, estate taxation: the courses
Curricula vary from one university to another, but their backbone is the same: the subjects a notary practises every day.
Family estate law
This is the heart of the programme: matrimonial property regimes, successions and gifts, the law of persons and the family, liquidation and partition. These subjects come back every semester, increasingly applied. They require a solid command of civil law mechanisms, which are also found among family lawyers, as the article family lawyer CV shows.
Real estate law
Property sales, property law, co-ownership, planning, property development, land registration. This is the area that accounts for the most files in most offices.
Business law
Specific contracts and contract techniques, company law, particularly non-trading companies, businesses as going concerns, companies in difficulty. Notaries are often involved in transferring family businesses.
Taxation
Notarial taxation, estate taxation and business taxation: transfer duties, capital gains, the real estate wealth tax, tax-efficient transfers. This is often the subject that makes a notary stand out in the eyes of clients.
Additional and professional courses
Depending on the university: insurance law, banking law, digital law, environmental law, law relating to minors, a foreign language, introductory talks on professional practice and applied seminars. The master’s track in notarial law at Université Côte d’Azur 🔗 gives an example, with core courses in matrimonial regimes and successions, notarial taxation, pre-professional modules and research training.
How selection works
When selection takes place
As for other master’s programmes, selection mainly takes place on entry into the first year of the master’s, on the national application platform. Some universities offer an M1 in private law followed by an M2 in notarial law, others a two-year notarial track: read each programme’s page.
What panels look at
Results in civil law. Law of obligations, property law, family law, matrimonial regimes if you have already studied them. Notarial law panels pay particular attention to these, as they structure the whole master’s.
Your plans. Panels check that the candidate knows what the notary’s job is and has a realistic idea of what comes next: DESN, office, region of practice.
Experience in a notarial office. An internship, even a short one, or a job in a notarial office is a considerable asset. It proves that your plans rest on concrete experience.
Rigour. A neat application, with no errors and complete documents: for a profession where form matters as much, it is a signal.
The article applying for a master’s in law explains how selection works in general and the platform’s calendar.
The internship in a notarial office during the master’s
The internship is a compulsory component of most master’s programmes in notarial law. At Université Côte d’Azur, for example, it lasts at least two months outside work-study, takes place only in a notarial office under the aegis of the departmental chamber, and leads to a professional dissertation defended by the student. Candidates who can already show professional experience in the notarial sector may be exempted.
This internship has a twofold benefit:
- it feeds the professional dissertation, which deals with a practical question encountered in the office;
- it prepares for the DESN, since the internship office may become the one that hosts you as a trainee notary for twenty-four months.
Some universities also offer the master’s as work-study, which lets you spend several days a week in an office throughout the programme. The article finding an internship in a notarial office explains where to look and how to apply.
Career options: notary, notarial lawyer, wealth management
The main route: the DESN and becoming a notary
Most graduates go on to the DESN, then become assistant notary, salaried notary, partner or office holder. The article salaried notary, partner or office holder compares these statuses.
Notarial office careers
Some graduates choose to remain office staff without aiming to become a notary: deed drafter, clerk specialising in family law or real estate, head of department. The pre-filled notarial clerk CV shows this type of path.
Neighbouring careers
The programme also opens onto related careers, which universities mention among their outcomes: director of land services, probate genealogist, lawyer in property development, lawyer in private banking. Command of estate law and taxation is of particular interest to wealth advisory careers: for a graduate tempted by this route, it is worth looking at the CV of a wealth management adviser 🔗 and what it highlights.
The academic CV for the notarial profession
The CV you attach to your application, then to your internship requests, must reflect the logic of the notarial profession: rigour, estate law, contact with clients.
The header states your plans: “L3 private law student, applying for the master’s in notarial law, aiming for the DESN in a rural office”.
Education highlights civil and estate law subjects, with grades if they are good:
- Before: “Law degree, University [name].”
- After: “Bachelor’s in private law, University [name] — ‘bien’ distinction; property law, family law, law of obligations (grades among the best in the year group).”
Experience describes precisely what you did in an office or a related environment (estate agency, bank, a local authority’s estates department).
Skills cite research tools, software used during internships and languages.
The pre-filled notary CV shows the place this master’s will hold once you are in post. For yours, the AvocatCV builder offers a sober academic layout and a clean PDF, readable by application platforms: you stay focused on choosing the subjects and experiences to highlight.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a master’s in notarial law to become a notary?
It is not compulsory, but it is the most direct route: an approved master’s gives automatic access to the DESN, whereas another master’s in law requires selection by a national committee.
Does the master’s in notarial law close other doors?
No. It prepares you in subjects that are useful well beyond the notarial profession: family law, real estate law and estate taxation, which law firms, private banks and legal departments also look for.
Can the master’s be done as work-study?
Yes, at some universities. Work-study lets you spend part of the week in an office and can exempt you from the standard internship.
Does the professional dissertation count for later?
It counts mainly for the degree and for the office that hosts you. A well-handled dissertation on a practical question is also a good topic for discussion in interviews.