Law is omnipresent in and essential to society.  It governs every facet of social life and provides a framework for individuals’ lives from the moment of their conception up to the time of their death.

Legal practitioners are at the very forefront of the increasing complexity and the globalisation of the political, economic, social and cultural issues we know today. They are expected to have thorough knowledge of the applicable rules of the game and a keen sense of justice and fairness.

Laws generally stipulate specific behaviour for those concerned: sometimes to impose an obligation, sometimes to authorise, and still other times to prohibit a specific behaviour.  These laws have to take into consideration the commonly accepted values of a given society.  This is why the law programme at Saint-Louis includes a solid foundation in the human sciences, drawing on fields such as sociology, history, philosophy and economics, among others.

Over the course of their Bachelor programme in law, students will cover what is referred to as “private” law and what is referred to as “public” law.

Public law designates the entire set of laws that govern the organisation, the operation and the powers of the public authorities as well as the relationship between these authorities and private individuals.  Included in public law are constitutional law, administrative law, tax law, social security law, criminal law and criminal procedure law.

Private law encompasses the laws that govern relations between private individuals, be they natural persons (individuals) or legal entities (businesses, associations, etc.).  Included in private law are civil law, commercial law, labour law and private judicial law.

The Bachelor of Law programme counts 180 ECTS credits spread over three years, and each year counts 60 ECTS credits.

This programme can be followed entirely in French, but it also offers students the opportunity to choose a bilingual option (French/Dutch or French/English) with the possible option of a third language.

Students enrolled in the unilingual option have the possibility of following a 15-ECTS-credit minor spread over the 2nd and 3rd years of the programme.

The Bachelor of Law programme also includes the opportunity to integrate a job shadowing internship in the practice of law during the third year.