the course of study and the degree in law
It is a false belief that only those who have studied humanities can be lawyers. To be sure, the knowledge of Latin can help us understand and memorize certain words and brocardi that lawyers continue to use, with a morbid attachment to tradition. But there are no gender preclusions.
The discourse at the university is different. It is necessary to obtain a degree in law (or “law degree” if you prefer). Currently the course of study foresees the so-called “magistrale degree”, that is a course of five years, with the classic 3 + 2, that is three-year basic degree and specialistic degree.
The degree mark is not influential for the subsequent qualification to the profession.
The internship to become a lawyer
After graduation it is necessary to carry out the legal internship or, as some call it, the apprenticeship. The practice must be carried out in the office of a lawyer who has been enrolled in the register for at least 5 years.
There are no different roads depending on whether you want to become civil or criminal lawyers: you can carry out one or the other activity indifferently, following the same path that we will describe here. The internship lasts 18 months.
However, if the young person has a diploma from the graduate school, he will be able to replace the forensic practice within a year.
During the practice period it is necessary to participate in 20 hearings per semester (60 hearings altogether). The presence of the practitioner at the hearing will be indicated in the report (which is drafted by the registrar or, more often, by the lawyers themselves) and the judge will verify the actual presence of the young person.
The forensic practice is not incompatible with public or private subordinate work, provided that such work is not an obstacle to actually performing the internship.
Graduates enrolled in the practice from 28 September 2018 must attend a training course alongside their 18-month training period. To guarantee homogeneity of preparation and evaluation, the National Forensic Council (Cnf) has developed Guidelines with indications on the contents of the courses, on the accreditation system and on the costs borne by the practitioners. The teaching method indicated by the Guidelines is the “case study” method, in which the teacher submits a controversial case, preferably of an interdisciplinary nature that the trainees will have to “solve”.