
The author presents the French system of legal education. There are some problems concerning this issue. The first one is connected with historical conditions which have influenced the shape of the current model of legal education. The tradition of the 19th-century French codifications and school of exegesis seems to be particularly important. The second one concern the analysis of the current system of legal education (academic and professional studies). The third issue relates to searching for the optimal model of legal education within the common European educational sphere. At the present day, there is not any uniform set of teaching programs as far as
legal studies are concerned. According to the Act of August 10, 2007 on the freedom and responsibility of universities, universities gained considerable freedom in developing their curricula. In addition, students can choose some compulsory and optional subjects. This approach corresponds to the postulate of the representatives of the “free scientific research school” to enrich students with a humanist perspective of law.