The Conference du barreau de Paris is an association of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

lawyers founded in 1810 which brings together twelve young lawyers elected by their peers (following a three-round oratory contest), working as a special task force on sensitive criminal cases.

History

Many ''Secrétaires de la conférence'' have distinguished themselves in French culture and politics such as Members of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Jean-Denis BREDIN
Académie française Members of the Government, Members of Parliament, Presidents of the French Republic ( Jules Grévy,

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (, ; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. Trained in law, Poincaré was elected deputy in 1 ...

Alexandre Millerand Alexandre Millerand (; – ) was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 20 January to 23 September 1920 and President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924. His participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the sta ...

). Many notable lawyers were Secrétaires de la Conférence and marked French judicial history. Among them

Fernand Labori Fernand-Gustave-Gaston Labori (April 18, 1860 – March 14, 1917) was a French attorney. He was born in Reims and educated at the Faculty of Law of Paris. In his professional life, he defended the accused in some of the most prominent polit ...

who defended

Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...

and Jacques Vergès famous for having defended Klaus Barbie and

Sadam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

The conference competition

The twelve ''Secrétaires de la conférence'' (incumbent secretaries) designate their successors following a three-round oratory contest known as ''concours d' éloquence'' in which the candidates (around 300) are assigned to give a speech on a non legal related and very confusing subject.

Criminal defense

The conference is charged by the Paris'

Bâtonnier In some legal systems, the bâtonnier is the head of the legal profession (the bar). Jersey In Jersey, the Bâtonnier is head of the profession of advocate. The role includes administering the legal aid system for the island (the day-to-day admin ...

(President of the

Bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

) with the defence of sensitive criminal matters (rapes, murder, terrorism, fast track procedures) from the custody stage until the trial before the Cour d'assises (French criminal court).

The representation of the Paris Bar

The conference represents the Paris

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

in France and abroad, particularly with the French-speaking bars, with which it maintains long-lasting and privileged links. The conference is also present in sensitive trials abroad to report and alert when human rights are threatened. The Conférence also engages in lobbying every time a new draft bill regarding criminal law, is discussed in the Government or before the Parliament.

References

External links