France: Attorneys obliged to invest in continuous training

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

France: Attorneys obliged to invest in continuous training

Since the beginning of this year following law n° 20104‐315 of March 11 2014 reinforcing the battle against counterfeiting, an article was introduced in the Intellectual Property Code regulating the IP profession stipulating that all qualified patent and trade mark attorneys (conseils en propriété industrielle) need to dedicate a significant part of their time to professional training.

This decision has been preceded by a hefty debate between professionals claiming that such an obligation should not be regulated but left to the initiative of each individual, and those claiming that it is a must, testifying to a strong willingness to maintain a high level of expertise all along one's career as an IP attorney.

The article L422‐10‐1 of the Intellectual Property Code stipulates that all French IP attorneys have to spend (at least) 20 hours per calendar year on on professional training.

Interestingly, four types of intervention can be taken into account to fulfil this obligation.

First of all one can fulfil this obligation by participating in training such as academic seminars or courses related to IP ‐ think of law changes or case law evolutions. Note that seminars or courses given by a qualified patent or trade mark attorney outside an academic environment can also qualify. It gives IP attorneys the possibility to follow specific training referring to specialised matters not (yet) dealt with by the academic world. Luckily the hours one commits to acting as a speaker on IP or teacher in the matter also count.

Finally, publishing articles or work related to IP, are also valid to comply with this training obligation The Compagnie Nationale des Conseils en Propriété Industrielle (CNCPI) will assess whether the

training obligation has been fulfilled by the IP practioners. However, the legal framework detailing the control of such obligation and the nature of the potential sanctions in case the obligation is not fulfilled still needs to be set up. For the most proactive French law firms these new rules just confirm what they are already promoting internally. On a wider scale, it shows the willingness of the French IP profession to ensure its expertise is continuously developed and kept up to date in an ever changing world.

Rolland_Jean

Jean‐Christophe Rolland


Gevers & Ores41, avenue de FriedlandParis 75008, FranceTel: +33 1 45 00 48 48Fax: +33 1 40 67 95 67paris@gevers.euwww.gevers.eu

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Sources explain why return-to-office mandates could hamper efficiency at the USPTO
The Unified Patent Court surpassing 700 cases and a row between Apple and PanOptis were among the top talking points this week
Partners at four firms explain how they help clients join in the hype around the big game without attracting the NFL’s wrath
We discuss how law firms are using AI, whether remote working has resulted in cost-savings, and what corporate counsel want from their advisers when it comes to DEI
Matthew Yeates, managing director at Integrated IP, discusses its acquisition of Clark IP and reveals further expansion plans
Paul Lee discusses moving from venture capital to IP, why lawyers are becoming more receptive to tech, and why he starts his day with a cold plunge
Barbara Lawton, a counsellor and mental health trainer at wellbeing charity Jonathan’s Voice, outlines tips for engaging with vulnerable people
New partner Amir Ghavi, who will help launch the group, says he expects more lateral hires in the coming weeks
Counsel at three firms reveal the tools they’re using to generate patent invalidity claim charts and why they’re making investments in the technology
Eric Lee says the firm’s thought leadership on artificial intelligence convinced him to move
Gift this article