The École du Barreau is a Montréal-based postgraduate institution that provides professional training to future lawyers in Quebec.
The École du Barreau describes itself as the first postgraduate teaching institution in North America that guarantees the preparation and professional integration of young lawyers with a view to protecting the public. Its mission is to provide professional training to future lawyers to prepare them for the first years of practice and for obtaining the practice licence. The institution's vision is to be a pioneer among teaching institutions in terms of professionalization. Its stated values are innovation, boldness, determination, competence, commitment and adaptability.
The École du Barreau was founded in 1968 and embodies the commitment to professionalizing the legal profession. The Comité d'accès à la profession (CAP) is instituted by article 45 of the Loi sur le Barreau and examines candidates' files.
The training program is presented in 3 blocks. Block 1 consists of three training sectors, each concluded by an examination: Droit appliqué, Théorie de la cause et rédaction, and Éthique, déontologie et pratique professionnelle. The internship is six months long and is supervised by a member of the Ordre or a member of the magistrature. The École du Barreau also adds a mandatory experiential clinical phase to its curriculum, described as a unique initiative in North America.
The École du Barreau has four training centres, including centres in Montréal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke and Québec. Its address is 445, boulevard Saint-Laurent, Bureau 215, Montréal (Québec) H2Y 2Y7. The Cognitis learning platform is listed among its facilities.
Admission routes include general admission to the École du Barreau, admission via equivalence recognition for foreign-trained jurists, and admission subject to a French language proficiency examination. Registration includes a diagnostic assessment. In the 2023-2024 cohort, 89% of candidates had passed the three block 1 examinations by the end of 2025-2026.