Judges

This chapter looks briefly at the way judges are recruited in France and how and to what degree this is reflected in their way of reasoning and style of argument. It outlines the requirements for admission to the profession of being a judge in France and the methods adopted for training them. This outline is confined to professional judges, but it should be noted that, in France, commercial and employment cases are adjudicated at the first instance by lay judges. Further, judges in the administrative courts are not included in the teaching and training processes provided for by the École Nationale de la Magistrature (ENM). Administrative judges are recruited from the pool of high-ranking civil servants, many of them trained at the prestigious ENA (École Nationale d'Administration).