Council of State, Court of Cassation and Jurisdictional Conflicts Tribunal: exclusive monopoly

Throughout the world, in particular in the United States where the practice of law is relatively less restricted, lawyers specialize in representing litigants before the supreme courts, and make it their exclusive practice.

Similarly to other European Union countries, such as Belgium and Germany, France has a national bar association. The lawyers admitted to practice before the Council of State and the Court of Cassation are “specialist lawyers”, within the meaning of Directive No. 98/5/EC of 16 February 1998.

The primary mission of the members of the Bar of the Supreme Courts is to represent litigants in the final stage of proceedings, the appeal before the French supreme courts, the Council of State and the Court of Cassation. For this reason, they have the dual status of lawyer and legal officer (officier ministériel).

They maintain close ties with their correspondent lawyers who are members of the local bar associations, with whom they are now authorized to create multi-profession firms (Order of March 31, 2016).