In-service training

For its in-service training, the School can rely on its permanent academic staff consisting of training coordinators and regional training coordinators. They are judges or prosecutors who are seconded to the ENM for a maximum of six years, to ensure that the teaching remains close to the realities of court practice. They are backed by session directors who are experts in their field to offer a diverse, regularly-updated range of in-service training courses designed to meet the real needs of judges and prosecutors. Every year, almost 2,000 judges and prosecutors and professionals from all sectors, both public and private, teach on the 500 or more training sessions, seminars, talks and short courses devised by the ENM's in-service training department. Certain sessions are open to other judicial professionals, French and foreign, out of a concern to work with these other natural partners.

Objectives

The national in-service training offer is put together by the ENM's in-service department, with added input from the Teaching Commission, with the final decision on what to include being taken by the Board.

Seven training objectives have been defined to meet the needs of a modern European democracy and the expectations of users of the judicial system : ▪ keep up with legislative and regulatory reforms and developments in case law; ▪ assist judges and prosecutors with changes in their work practices and functions; ▪ prepare them for management positions and promote a culture of good management; ▪ promote sharing of knowledge, methods and good professional practice; ▪ contribute to keeping the profession aware of its economic, social and cultural environment; ▪ enhance knowledge of European and international law among judges and prosecutors; ▪ provide a multi-disciplinary approach to the subjects that are addressed.

More than 500 training courses offered

Training sessions – 2 to 5 days
These provide in-depth training on technical or societal themes, in the form of presentations, debates and in some cases practical work. Some sessions are offered by schools or training centres that are partners of the ENM.

Functional sessions – 5 to 10 days
These are sessions for participants in similar functions, preparing them for a new position or the practices of a given position, and enabling exchanges between different functions and positions. These sessions enable participants to take up new duties efficiently or perfect their practices.

Training cycles – Up to 30 days
These enable participants to enhance and better exploit their technical skills and knowledge so that they can exercise specialised functions to the best of their abilities.

Training leading to a qualification – Maximum 1 year
These long-duration courses lead to the award of a qualification such as a master's or university diploma (DU). They are offered in order to enable participants to take advantage of the latest knowledge in areas where justice has to be specialised.

Seminars – 1 to 2 days
These are organised by the ENM or a partner and intended for a wide audience.

External internships – 5 days
These are organised by the ENM for groups of two to thirty judges and prosecutors in public authorities or establishments, independent administrative authorities, public institutions, international organisations or courts, and industrial or service-sector companies.

Individual internships – 5 days
These are organised either by the ENM or by the trainees themselves, in France or abroad. The objective is to facilitate an immersion experience in a particular environment subject to special conditions.

Court internships - 5 days
These are for judges or prosecutors who are changing positions, in addition to the training session to prepare them for the change. They take place with a judge or prosecutor working in a court similar to that to which the participant is to be appointed.

Intended to back up the national training courses, the courses organised in the courts of appeal seek to reach the largest possible number of participants by taking the training to them, close to where they work. In-service training in the regions is run with the help of partner organisations in the judicial world and is therefore generally open to other target audiences such as court officials, lawyers, notaries, commercial court judges, local magistrates, police officers, gendarmes and even court experts.

In order to situate their actions within the European judicial area and develop their knowledge of foreign judicial systems, French judges and prosecutors have the possibility of taking part in international training courses offered by training networks working in partnership with ENM. The School is a member of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN), the Euro-Arab Judicial Training Network (EAJTN), the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP), and the International Organisation for Judicial Training (IOJT). The International Department at the ENM also offers on occasion, as part of European projects, a limited number of places for French judges and prosecutors to take part in international seminars.