Thus, the course of studies consists of a regular LL.B. in the student’s home country (years 1-3) and a European part/Master phase abroad (years 4-5). Students will chose one of the specialist subjects during their Bachelor studies:

• Private Law (especially Contract Law, Torts, some Company and Property Law), or
• Business Regulation (especially Contract Law, Company and Tax Law, some Insolvency Law), or
• Public Law (especially Constitutional Law, Administrative and Environmental Law)
• Criminal Law.

Within the chosen area the students will be taught the existing law on the EC level (uniform or quasi-uniform), and, where there is none, the principal solutions on the national level in the three core jurisdictions.

The main part of the education in their specialist subject will take place during years 4-5 (i.e. abroad). However, in years 1-3 (home country) they will receive some tuition for the European part. Supplementary intensive preparation classes will be held, partially during semester breaks, only for students of the European Lawyer programme. The highlight of the preparation classes will be the joint Summer Academies for students from the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

During years 4-5, students will concentrate on their specialist subject area. British students will spend one year each in Berlin and Paris, German students in London and Paris and French students in Berlin and London. In the area of specialisation (Private Law, Business Regulation or Public Law), foreign students will not only be taught harmonised European law, but will also acquire approximately the same level of knowledge of national law as a student in the host country (For an example of the curriculum for French and British students during the year at Humboldt university, see page 9). This involves an extensive Comparative Law approach. The students will become familiar with the three leading European legal systems (“role models“: Common Law, German and Romance legal systems) and thereby be able to comprehend other legal systems in Europe and the rest of the world (South America, USA, East Asia and parts of Africa).

At the same time, the comparison of different legal solutions is the core instrument for constitutive and formative thinking in law (i.e. when law is to be used in an anticipatory manner and not “shutting the gate after the horse has bolted“). Also, legal education in the three countries employs very different training methods (“styles”). In the United Kingdom, the pragmatic way of formulating and putting forward the arguments of the parties is employed, in Germany the technique of solving cases and in France the presentation of complex correlations in “travaux dirigés”. Finally students of the European Lawyer programme will be trained in complementary skills such as:

• Decision Theory and the practice of decision making in complex scenarios;
• Mediation and negotiation;
• Lifelong learning;
• Basic knowledge of law-related sciences, especially economics.

These skills will be taught in special courses, partially at the Summer Academies, attended by both current students of the programme and young alumni. Skilled legal professionals need not only know the law but must also be equipped with the methods and skills mentioned above. Besides that, philosophical questions concerning the law and its function in modern societies will be discussed, as well as the intellectual background of the law in Europe.

After having completed the five year study course, graduates will have access to the bar with their three degrees in each of the countries. They can do their vocational training in judicial service either in the United Kingdom (24 months), Germany (“Referendariat”, 24 months plus the second State Exam) or France (18 months). In order to work in legal professions in the other two countries, they need not pass the normally required transfer tests. The European Lawyer degrees will serve as substitutes.

As the programme is meant to encourage the formation of a European elite of legal professionals, we plan to begin with ten students per country in 2006, reaching the maximum of 50 students per country by 2012.

From a German point of view, the duration of the European Lawyer study course is only six months longer than the regular study course for the State Exam, if the regular exam is passed after the 8th semester (“Freiversuch”). Some German states have a waiting list for the vocational training in judicial service. As European Lawyers are able to access the waiting list after only three years, they might even be able to start the judicial training before graduates of the regular State Exam degree, although European Lawyers have acquired two additional (Masters) degrees.

The European Lawyer programme also offers more within less time compared to the regular study course leading to the German State Exam and one subsequent Masters Degree (see table on the opposite page). The European Lawyer obtains two professional Masters Degrees instead of one non-professional degree, giving access to the bar in each country. From the perspective of content, the European Lawyer receives a more thorough education in his specialist subject and has a profound comparative, as well as interdisciplinary approach. Another plus for the European Lawyer is the creation of a pan-European network of legal excellence. Each student will be supported by fellow students and senior students in each of the other two countries, as well as by a personal tutor amongst the teaching staff.