Lawyer-Linguist and Law and Intercultural Studies
ApplicationDocumentationAbout the Legal Translation Studies
ISIT’s Grande École program offers 6 specializations, each of which is driven by the strong multilingual and intercultural dimension that is part of ISIT’s DNA.
ISIT produces graduates with a strong general knowledge and a solid understanding of intercultural issues who are able to show agility in an international environment and to grasp the complexity of globalized organizations and businesses.
The Lawyer-Linguist and Law and Intercultural Studies prepares lawyers to work in a globalized environment, bringing together students from all over the world to learn about the challenges of interculturality as applied to the field of law.
Faculty
- Lecturers and researchers in law and translation studies
- Practising: lawyers, lawyer-linguists, and professional legal translators
Learning objectives
- Training legal professionals capable of dealing with international issues in several languages and cultures
- Producing graduates capable of translating and writing in an intercultural legal environment
Practical skills acquired
- Multilingual Communication in the legal field
- Legal translation
- Intercultural understanding of professional legal situations: legal proceedings involving foreign nationals, international contracts, international negotiations, etc.
Courses
Year 1
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
- Fundamentals of interculturality
- Introduction to foreign legal systems
- Constitutional law/administrative law
- Legal traditions of the world
- General geopolitics in English*
- International economics
- Geopolitics by zone*
*Optional
LANGUAGES, METHODOLOGIES AND CULTURES
- Voltaire Project
- Legal translation to A
- Introduction to legal translation into B
- Advanced language training
- Oral expression in the legal context
PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION
- Personal and professional development
- Associative activities / student life at ISIT
- 1-month international internship
Year 2
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
- Tort Law
- Criminal Law
- Civil law
- Comparative law
- Business economics
- Business language*
*Optional
LANGUAGES, METHODOLOGIES AND CULTURES
- Comparative law essay
- Legal translation into A
- Legal translation into B
- Advanced language training
- Analysis and discussion of current legal issues
PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION
- Personal and professional development
- ISIT activities and associations
- Minimum 6-week international internship
Year 3
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
- Contract law
- Corporate law
- International negotiations in English
- American law
LANGUAGES, METHODOLOGIES AND CULTURES
- Dictionary of legal untranslatables
- Legal and financial translation to A
- Legal and financial translation to B
- Analysis and discussion of current legal issues
PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION
- Personal and professional development support
- ISIT activities and associations
- Internship of at least 2 months at the end of the year
PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION
One semester at ISIT + one semester at an international university or internship/cross-cultural project
OR
Two semesters abroad
1st year of master’s degree :
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
- Trust Law
- Intellectual property law
- Employment law
- Intercultural communication in international organizations
- International business law
LANGUAGES, METHODOLOGIES AND CULTURES
- Professional speaking
- Legal and financial translation into B languages
- Legal & financial translation into A language
- Business language*
- Developing intercultural intelligence*
*Optional
PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION
- ISIT LEGAL CLINIC project
- Job placement forum and career planning workshops
- Personalized coaching
- Minimum 3-month internship
ENTREPRENEURSHIP (ON APPLICATION)
- Introduction to entrepreneurship
- Support in setting up a business
2nd year of master’s degree :
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
- Fundamental freedoms
- EU law
- International law
- Intercultural communication in the legal profession
- International arbitration
- ISIT LEGAL CLINIC professional project
LANGUAGES, METHODOLOGIES AND CULTURES
- Legal and financial translation into A
- Legal and financial translation into B
- Professional speaking
- Research dissertation
PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION
- Job integration forum and other job integration activities
- Assertiveness & leadership
- Activity report and portfolio of achievements
- 6-month internship
Double degree
This double-degree program is jointly organized with our partner law schools. The linguistic and intercultural elements of the course are taught at ISIT, while the legal modules take place at the partner universities.
ISIT has signed two partnership agreements with two centers of legal excellence:
- Faculté de Droit Jean Monnet – Université Paris Saclay. A pioneering partnership established back in 1978 Click here for details of the admissions procedure
- Paris-Panthéon-Assas Université, since the 2016-17 academic year.
Click here for details of the procedure for 1st or 2nd year admissions.
Careers
Our priority : guiding our students into the world of work
Throughout their time at ISIT, our students receive career development support from the Talents and Careers Department to help prepare them for the world of work.
This career development support comprises a series of complementary initiatives
Exposing students to the world of work to develop their self-sufficiency, their sense of responsibility, their innovation skills and their entrepreneurial mindset.
- Students who do not opt for an academic exchange abroad in the 3rd year must complete an 8-week internship in the legal field (see Internships page)
Students may also complete an internship during their time abroad
Seminars, workshops and conferences to help students build and refine their career plans
- Talks by practising lawyer-linguists
- Careers round tables, focusing in particular on careers within the European Union
- Methodology workshops on how to build a career plan
In 2019, ISIT signed a partnership with Lexis Nexis, one of France’s largest legal publishers. This partnership includes joint participation in international research seminars, as well as consulting assignments entrusted to ISIT lawyer-linguist students.
- Partnerships with the International Commercial Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal, the Association Henri Capitant des amis de la culture juridique française, the European Space Agency, and Translex.
International job opportunities
Our students become lawyer-linguists and lawyers working in prestigious professional settings including European institutions, international organizations, international law firms and large global companies.
Getting ready to apply
Prerequisites
Languages
Our course is open to candidates with a solid level in their mother tongue and two other working languages: French and English are compulsory, and the third working language can be chosen from among Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Candidates must be enrolled on a law program in the Paris region or have completed the equivalent of a law degree.
Qualifications required
- 1st-year entry: applicants must have their Baccalaureate or equivalent high school diploma
- 3rd-year entry: applicants must have completed their second year of university studies (L2) in law
- 1st year of master’s degree entry: applicants must have completed their third year of university studies (L3) in law
- 2nd year of master’s degree entry: applicants must have completed their fourth year of university studies (M1) in law
- Partnership with Paris-Panthéon-Assas Université: Entry possible in 1st or 2nd-year. Specific admission conditions available here
- Partnership with Faculté Jean Monnet de Sceaux – Paris Saclay : Entry possible in 1st year to 2nd year of master’s degree. Specific admission conditions available here.
Admission tests
- Here you will find past papers related to ISIT’s Master’s admission process, including tests and subjects for each master’s degree from previous years, so that candidates have a complete overview of the expectations and requirements of the selection process.