Courses & Exams

The Guernsey component of the studies and assessments required to become a Guernsey Advocate has undergone significant changes in recent years. Gone are the days when Aspirants were expected to compile their own notes and materials on Guernsey law, undertake a period a self-study with little or no guidance, and take notoriously difficult exams that might bear little resemblance to the materials used to learn Guernsey Law.

The Guernsey Bar Course and Exams have been modernised better to address the evolving needs of the jurisdiction. For each of the subject areas, a syllabus has been produced (see below) along with official study guides written by professional academics/lecturers. The academics are supported by adjuncts, who are qualified Guernsey Advocates with deep experience in the relevant fields.

The Royal Court appoints the examiners from among local Advocates, some of whom may also be adjuncts. In addition to delivering the teaching, the academics are retained to help set and mark the exams, should the examiner so wish.

Enrolment

We expect to be able to offer 12 to 15 places for the Certificat d’Etudes Juridiques Francaises et Normandes course each year.  This is the preferred limit for effective teaching.  The course is likely to be a mixture of live Teams or equivalent distance learning with some pre-recorded and some "in person" teaching.

Any general announcements and communications will be made via the Bar Secretary to the Bar.  It is a pupil supervisor's responsibility to pass such information on as appropriate.  Updates may be made to the Institute of Law websites (Guernsey or Jersey) but these should not be relied upon.

Applications for Caen and the Bar Course

The preferred date is generally 31 July each year for applications for Caen and the Bar course commencing later in the year.  Please refer to the terms and conditions of enrolment for further details in respect of the current year, available here. The 2023-2024 Application Form for Caen is available upon request from mourantgsgsy-lawguernsey@mourant.com and also here.

The 2023-2024 Application Form for the Bar course is available from the Institute of Law Jersey (www.lawinstitute.ac.je) and is completed online. The terms and conditions applicable to that course can be accessed here.

We would ask any firm with candidates to send ONE SINGLE email per firm to Elizabeth Dene (elizabeth.dene@mourant.com) and Jon Barclays (jon.barclay@bedellcristin.com), copying in mourantgsgsy-lawguernsey@mourant.com with the following information – Candidates with no links to a firm should email in the same way:

• Name of Aspirant, and the firm's priority for them (where more than one Aspirant is put forward)

Priority

We may be able to offer up to 2 places to each firm, but given the preferred limits for effective teaching this is not guaranteed and will depend on the number of applications. 

We ask that each advocate’s firm decides the priority to be given to those wishing to attend from their firm.  We recommend that priority should be given those who could be called to the Bar upon passing the Bar exams.  Aspirant 1 and Aspirant 2 should be clearly marked on the application form.

Independent applicants should also apply by 31 July.  Again, this does not guarantee a place.

For the purposes of this policy, the States of Guernsey (including St James Chambers) is considered one law firm.

If there are more than 12 applicants, the above priority will be applied.  Independent applicants will also be accorded appropriate priority depending on whether or not they could be called to the Bar upon passing the Bar exams.  In this situation, it is expected that each firm's "Aspirant 1" should be offered a place, with "Aspirant 2" going in to the hat and the remaining places filled from there.  If a firm wishes more than 2 Aspirants to apply, their priority should be clearly marked.

Decisions

Any decisions as to who has been selected to attend for the current year will be relayed after 31 July. Payment should be made in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions or such later date as the Institute of Law Guernsey may determine.

Syllabus

The syllabus for the academic year 2023-2024 is available here. It is anticipated that the syllabus for this academic year will be published towards the end of this year.  

Teaching weekends

Generally for each subject there are two teaching weekends, consisting of two days of teaching each, followed by one revision weekend of one day only, with each day varying from 3.5 to 5.5 hours, depending upon the subject. There will not usually be a revision weekend for Professional Conduct, Ethics, and Related Issues, but there will usually be one for the AML/CTF aspects of both Criminal Practice and Procedure, and Professional Conduct, Ethics, and Related Issues.  

Single courses

Individuals wishing to explore individual subjects may attend single courses at a cost of £3,500 per subject. They may attend all teaching weekends and will be provided with a study guide for the subject; they will not sit the examination.

Study guides

Study Guides have been developed for each subject by the academics and (in the case of the Bar Course) adjuncts and are subject to updating and improvement on an annual basis. The most up-to-date Study Guides will be provided to the Aspirants signed up for that year’s course.

The ongoing process of adding to and revising the Study Guides means that each year’s Guides are expected to exceed the last year’s Guides in terms of currency and depth of treatment of the relevant issues/principles.

The last year’s Study Guides are available to purchase from the Institute of Law Guernsey at a discount for individuals and law firms wishing to learn or update their knowledge base in a given subject area. Click below for pricing information and an order form.

Please note that the Institute retains the copyright and all other rights relating to the study guides, and copying sharing or otherwise making them available to any other person is prohibited.