French Lawyer Specialisation Certificates (CNB): How to Obtain One and Show It on Your CV
In the French legal profession, "specialist" is not just a descriptive word. It is a title awarded by the Conseil national des barreaux (CNB, the national bar council) at the end of a regulated procedure, and only those who hold it may use it. For an associate preparing a move to another firm, an application for partnership or setting up their own practice, a specialisation certificate is a clear signal: it shows a practice that has been reviewed by fellow lawyers, a judge and an academic. You still need to know when you are eligible, how to build the application and, above all, how to present the certificate on your CV and other materials without breaching professional conduct rules.
This article is based on Decree No. 91-1197 of 27 November 1991 (Articles 86 to 92-8), the order of 28 December 2011 setting the list of specialisations, and Article 10 of the Règlement intérieur national (RIN, the national code of conduct for French lawyers). These texts change over time: always check the current version on Légifrance and on the CNB website before applying.
What a specialisation certificate is (and is not)
A specialisation certificate (mention de spécialisation) is issued by the CNB and allows a lawyer to present themselves as a specialist in a field on a list set by order of the Minister of Justice, on a proposal from the CNB (Article 86 of the 1991 decree).
Three misunderstandings come up regularly:
- It is not a university degree. A master's in employment law does not make you a "specialist" in the sense used by the profession. The Paris Bar's 2020 guide on digital communication even recommends avoiding the word "spécialité" when describing a university programme, because it creates confusion with the CNB certificate.
- It is not a main practice area. Article 10.2 of the RIN allows any lawyer to state their main practice areas (domaines d'activités dominantes), up to three, provided they reflect an actual and regular practice. No prior approval is needed, but the vocabulary of specialisation remains off-limits.
- It is personal. The certificate belongs to the individual lawyer, not to the firm. A firm cannot describe itself as "specialised": the information must relate to the individual lawyer within the firm (Article 10.2 of the RIN).
The list of specialisations
The consolidated version of the order of 28 December 2011 lists 28 specialisations. They include employment law, criminal law, public law, real estate law, intellectual property law, digital and communications law, personal data protection law, family law, environmental law, tax and customs law, company law, commercial and competition law, arbitration, immigration and nationality law, personal injury law and health law.
Within a specialisation, applicants can request a specific qualification that narrows the scope, for example criminal law with a qualification in sentence enforcement. According to the CNB's FAQ, these qualifications are assessed by the CNB's professional training committee.
Eligibility
Four years of professional practice
Article 88 of the 1991 decree requires at least four years of professional practice in the relevant field. This experience may have been gained in France or abroad, and not only as a lawyer: the text also covers work as an employee of a law firm, as a member of another regulated legal profession, as an in-house lawyer, as a university lecturer or as a judge, in matters corresponding to the specialisation.
The CNB's FAQ specifies that the practice must be continuous, with any interruption not exceeding four months, and that it is assessed on the date the application is filed.
Take a lawyer admitted five years ago whose first two years were split between commercial litigation and employment law. They will need to show, with supporting evidence, that their employment law practice covers the required period. The application is built on actual work, not on job titles.
Two certificates at most
The CNB states that a lawyer may hold no more than two specialisation certificates at the same time. To pursue a third, you would need to give up one of the first two. Article 92-7 of the decree allows a lawyer to ask for a certificate to be removed from the national list.
The procedure
The application
Applications are filed online on the CNB's dedicated platform (specialisation.cnb.avocat.fr). The file must demonstrate the reality and length of your practice: the matters handled, types of cases, publications, speaking engagements and training. Professional secrecy applies in full, so all supporting documents must be anonymised.
A few practical points:
- Describe matters, not titles. "Employment litigation" says nothing. "Representing employers before the employment tribunal and the court of appeal in collective redundancy disputes" describes a practice.
- Show progression. The panel is looking for mastery, not mere exposure to the field.
- Link your training to the field. Regular continuing education in the relevant area strengthens the file.
The competence interview
Once the CNB's professional training committee considers the file complete, the CNB appoints the regional training centre (CRFPA) that will organise the interview. Article 91 of the decree provides for a four-member panel: two lawyers holding the relevant certificate, a university professor or qualified person, and a judge or civil servant depending on the field. According to the CNB, the interview lasts 40 minutes and is held in public.
The interview is not a theory exam. It focuses on your practice: how you handle a matter, the difficulties you have encountered, recent developments in the field, your strategic choices. Prepare it as a presentation of your practice to demanding peers.
After you obtain it: continuing education
The certificate is not acquired once and for all. Under Article 86 of the 1991 decree, as amended by Decree No. 2023-1125 of 1 December 2023, a lawyer holding one or two certificates must complete at least ten hours of training per year in the field of each, failing which they lose the right to use them. Article 92-5 sets out the formal notice procedure in case of non-compliance.
For your CV, the consequence is simple: a certificate you are no longer allowed to use must no longer appear on it.
Showing the certificate on your CV
The rules
Article 10.2 of the RIN reserves the words "spécialiste", "spécialisé", "spécialité" and "spécialisation", as well as the CNB's distinctive logo, to holders of a validly obtained certificate that has not been withdrawn, whatever the medium. The same article requires a lawyer who communicates about their specialisations or main practice areas, or substantially changes that communication, to send its wording to the Bar council without delay.
A CV sent to a firm as part of an application is not the same as a website or a brochure. But a CV circulates: it ends up in a team presentation, on a firm's "Our people" page or in a tender response. It is therefore wise to draft it from the outset in line with the rules on lawyers' communication.
Where to place it
The certificate belongs in three places:
- Under your name, in the CV headline, as it is the most readable information.
- In the "Education and qualifications" section, with the year obtained.
- In the description of your experience, where your practice must be consistent with it.
Before and after
An ambiguous headline:
Avocat spécialisé en droit social – Lyon Bar
If you do not hold the certificate, this line raises a professional conduct issue. Two compliant versions:
Avocat, Lyon Bar – Specialist in employment law (CNB certificate, 2025)
Avocat, Lyon Bar – Main practice areas: employment law, industrial relations, employment litigation
In the education section:
2025 – Specialisation certificate in employment law, Conseil national des barreaux 2016 – CAPA (French bar qualification), École des avocats 2015 – Master 2 in Employment Law
In the experience section, the certificate must be supported by the practice described:
Employment advice and litigation for industrial employers: restructurings, redundancy plans, collective bargaining, litigation before the employment tribunal and the court of appeal.
You can start from a template already structured for this field: open the pre-filled employment lawyer CV.
Common mistakes
- "Expert in real estate law": the Paris Bar guide considers that the word "expert" is likely to confuse the public; "expertise" is only tolerated under the conditions applying to main practice areas. Use "main practice area" or "area of competence" instead.
- More than three main practice areas: Article 10.2 of the RIN caps them at three. A list of seven fields also weakens the CV.
- Attributing the certificate to the firm: "A firm specialised in criminal law" should be avoided; it is the individual lawyer who is a specialist.
- Letting the certificate lapse: if the continuing education requirement is no longer met, the certificate must be removed from your materials.
- Presenting a university degree as a specialisation: write "Master 2 in Public Business Law", without the word "specialisation".
Aligning your other materials
The CV is only one medium. Your profile on the firm's website, the profession's directory, your email signature and your LinkedIn profile should all use exactly the same wording. A recruiter or partner who notices a discrepancy between your CV and your online profile will draw conclusions about your rigour. We cover these rules in our article on the lawyer's LinkedIn profile.
The certificate also carries weight in a broader career move. It helps in an application for partnership, because it makes an autonomous, recognised practice visible, a point developed in becoming a partner in a law firm. And in a CV for changing firms, it lets the reader place your level within seconds.
Conclusion
A specialisation certificate takes years to prepare: it requires continuous, documented practice, a file built on real matters and a demanding interview before a mixed panel. Once obtained, it comes with continuing education obligations and rigorous, consistent communication across all your materials. If you do not hold one yet, the vocabulary of main practice areas lets you present your practice accurately without claiming the title.
To update your CV with the right wording, start from the pre-filled employment lawyer CV or create your CV in the editor.
Frequently asked questions
How many years of practice are needed for a specialisation certificate?
Article 88 of the decree of 27 November 1991 requires four years of professional practice in the relevant field. According to the CNB, this practice must be continuous and is assessed on the date of filing. It may have been gained as a lawyer, but also as an in-house lawyer, a member of another regulated legal profession, an academic or a judge.
Can I write "specialised in" on my CV without a certificate?
No. Article 10.2 of the RIN reserves the words "spécialiste", "spécialisé", "spécialité" and "spécialisation" to certificate holders, whatever the medium. Without a certificate, refer to main practice areas, up to three, reflecting an actual and regular practice.
How many certificates can a lawyer hold?
The CNB states that a lawyer may hold a maximum of two specialisation certificates. Each may include a specific qualification narrowing the scope of the practice.
Is the certificate permanent?
It remains valid as long as the lawyer meets the continuing education requirement attached to each certificate, set at ten hours per year by Article 86 of the 1991 decree. Otherwise, the lawyer loses the right to use it and must remove it from all materials, including the CV.