After eight years in a legal department, some in-house lawyers ask themselves: do I really have to go back through the CRFPA entrance exam, eighteen months of law school and the CAPA before taking the oath? Decree no. 91-1197 of 27 November 1991, which organises the legal profession, provides another route for specific profiles. It is often called the “bridge” (passerelle), and it is more demanding than people think.
This article sorts out which profiles are really concerned, describes the ethics exam that conditions entry into the profession, then the file to submit to the bar council. It ends with what often makes the difference: a CV that proves, line by line, an actual legal practice.
What article 98 of the 1991 decree allows
The general rule is restated by the Conseil national des barreaux on its page on conditions of access to the profession 🔗: you become an avocat with a master’s degree in law (a master 2 since 1 January 2025, or a recognised equivalent), success in the CRFPA entrance exam, initial training at a law school for lawyers and the CAPA.
Article 98 of the decree creates an exception. It exempts from initial training and the CAPA certain professionals who can show long legal experience. It does not exempt from everything:
- the degree requirement remains: the CNB states that article 98 does not exempt from the master’s degree in law required to practise;
- an exam testing knowledge of professional ethics and regulation is still compulsory;
- the nationality and good-character conditions apply as for any candidate.
Article 97 of the same decree, often confused with article 98, goes further: it also exempts from the degree requirement, but it is reserved for institutional profiles (see below).
In-house lawyers: the experience requirements
This is the most common case. According to the CNB page on exemption from training and the CAPA 🔗, it covers “in-house lawyers who can show at least eight years of professional practice within the legal department of one or more companies”.
Every word of this formula counts, and most refusals turn on them.
“At least eight years of professional practice”
The period is calculated on functions that were genuinely legal. Years of internship, work-study or a job in which law was only part of the activity (executive assistant, buyer, operational compliance officer) are often excluded. Part-time work is examined case by case.
“Within the legal department”
Bar councils and courts check that you worked in a structure identified as being in charge of the company’s legal matters, and that your activity there was mainly legal. A sole in-house lawyer in an SME can meet the condition, provided they show that the position really was a lawyer’s position, reporting to management and devoted to law. A mixed role, straddling human resources or general management, is harder to rely on.
“Of one or more companies”
The eight years can be accumulated with several employers. Each period must then be documented separately, with its own supporting evidence.
The other exempted profiles
Article 98 covers other career paths, which the CNB lists on the same page:
- regulated legal and accounting professionals with at least five years of practice: notaries, commissaires de justice, commercial court clerks, court-appointed administrators and liquidators, industrial property attorneys;
- senior lecturers and lecturers holding a doctorate in law, economics or management, with five years of legal teaching at university;
- category A civil servants or equivalent who have carried out legal work for at least eight years in a public administration, public service or international organisation;
- lawyers attached to the legal activity of a trade union for at least eight years;
- lawyers employed by an avocat or a law firm, or by an avocat aux Conseils, with eight years of practice after obtaining the degree required for the profession;
- parliamentary assistants who have carried out legal work as their main activity, with executive status, for at least eight years.
Article 97: the profiles also exempted from the degree
Article 97, explained by the CNB on its page on the degree exemption 🔗, covers in particular current and former members of the Conseil d’État and administrative courts, judges of the ordinary and financial courts, university professors teaching law and avocats aux Conseils. Contrary to a widespread idea, it is therefore not article 98 that covers judges and professors.
From the same section of its website, the CNB provides an online tool to check whether your background qualifies for a derogatory route. It does not replace the bar council’s assessment, but it lets you rule out an option quickly.
The professional ethics exam
Whatever the legal basis (article 97 or 98), entry into the profession requires an exam on professional ethics and regulation, whose syllabus and procedures are set by an order of 30 April 2012.
As described by the CNB, the process is as follows:
- you file your application for admission with the bar council of the bar of your choice;
- the council rules, subject to the condition precedent of passing the exam;
- with this final decision, you register for the exam at the CRFPA of your choice;
- only after passing the exam can you take the oath and practise.
The exam covers the status of the avocat, their ethical obligations (secrecy, conflicts of interest, fees, handling of client funds) and the organisation of the profession. The number of attempts is limited: prepare it as a real exam, with the national internal rules and the main texts governing the profession. The CNB publishes the session calendar in the same section.
The file to submit to the bar council
Each bar council sets its own exact list of documents, which you should request from the admissions department of the bar concerned. It generally includes:
- a reasoned application letter and a detailed curriculum vitae;
- your degrees and, where applicable, the equivalence order;
- proof of experience: employment contracts, certificates of employment, employer statements specifying the job title, reporting line and nature of the duties;
- documents describing the legal department: organisation chart, job description, delegations of authority;
- good-character documents (criminal record extract) and civil status documents.
The committee in charge of reviewing the file may interview you. Prepare this meeting like a job interview: the committee will check that your activity was legal, autonomous and continuous. A refusal can be appealed before the court of appeal; in practice, a file that is well documented from the outset avoids most disputes.
A CV that proves legal practice
In this file, the CV is not a formality. It is the document that ties your employer statements together and shows that, for eight years, you practised law. Four rules make it convincing.
Date each position to the month. The bar council adds up the periods: approximate dates lead to back-and-forth requests.
Name the department and your reporting line. “Group legal department, reporting to the general counsel” says more than “lawyer”.
Describe legal work, not general responsibilities. Compare:
- Before: “Handling legal matters for the subsidiary.”
- After: “Drafting and negotiating the subsidiary’s distribution and subcontracting agreements, advising operational teams on contractual liability, managing three commercial disputes with external counsel.”
Respect your former employer’s confidentiality. You can name the company that employed you, not its business partners or counterparties. The method is explained in our article on matters and professional secrecy on a lawyer’s CV.
The pre-filled in-house lawyer CV is a good starting point: it presents a contract portfolio, managed disputes and a clear reporting line. Once admitted, you will have to choose how you practise; the article freelance associate or salaried lawyer compares the two statuses, and the article on the CNB specialisation certificate explains why a former in-house lawyer, however experienced, cannot call themselves a “specialist” without the certificate.
To format this CV without spending your evenings on it, start from the AvocatCV builder: it handles the layout and produces a PDF that law firms’ screening tools read without loss, which matters when you later send out applications for an associate position.
Frequently asked questions
Can an in-house lawyer admitted through article 98 become a partner?
Yes. Once on the roll, they are a full avocat, with the same rights and obligations as colleagues who went through law school, including to become a partner or set up their own practice.
Do work-study years count towards the eight years?
Rarely, as they are part of education. Bar councils count periods of professional practice as an in-house lawyer in post. Ask the bar concerned before filing your application.
Can I choose any bar?
Yes, the application is filed with the council of the bar of your choice. Choose it according to your practice plans: this bar will admit you and you will follow its internal rules.
Do I have to pass the ethics exam before filing the application?
No, it is the other way round: the bar council rules first, subject to a condition precedent, then you sit the exam at a CRFPA with the council’s decision. The oath is taken only after you pass.