Senior Officer of Justice

Bachelor's Degree Program Higher Judicial Officer

provides a basic level of higher education in the areas of the Ministry of Justice, especially in the judiciary and in the public prosecution system. The study program is, in accordance with Section 45 (1) of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., On universities, orientated purely practically to the preparation of students primarily for the pursuit of the profession of a higher judicial officer or a higher official of the Public Prosecutor's Office. Their status and activities are regulated by Act No. 121/2008 Coll., On Supreme Court Officials and Higher Officials of the Public Prosecutor's Office and on Amendments to Related Acts. In justice, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Justice in 2016, the District Courts have 953 senior judicial officers, 261 senior judicial officers at the county courts, and 7 at the Supreme Court. It is clear that there are a large number of senior civil servants, as well as the fact that, in view of the actions they are able to perform in court proceedings (see in particular § 11 and 12 of the cited law), their high-quality training is a prerequisite for the proper functioning of justice.

The senior judicial officer program provides students with a systematic overview of the Czech and European legal regulations as well as the necessary knowledge of the fields directly related to the field of justice, ie civil law of procedural, private law, criminal law and administrative justice. The program aims not only to provide and verify knowledge, but also to acquire the skills necessary in particular for the performance of the function of a senior judicial officer and a higher official of the Public Prosecutor's Office. An integral part of the study is therefore training in procedural and judicial-administrative skills. This is subject to a selection of subjects. The basis consists of subjects providing a comprehensive overview of the legal regulation as a whole. This is complemented by specialized subjects aimed at the field of justice. Students also have the opportunity to choose a wide range of other subjects from economics, management etc.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• to explain the principles and rules of civil law of procedural, criminal law in procedural and administrative justice
• to apply the principles and rules of civil procedural, procedural and administrative criminal law in resolving matters that fall within the remit of a senior magistrate or senior public prosecutor
• to focus on other disciplines, particularly in private law, criminal, administrative and constitutional law
• to elaborate independently acts which can be dealt with according to Act No. 121/2008 Coll. appointed higher court officials and higher officials of the public prosecutor's office
• to perform independently activities that allow graduates to be employed as auxiliary professional staff in other legal professions as well
• to use theoretical and methodological knowledge especially in the fields of organization of justice, civil procedure, criminal procedure and administrative justice

Graduate of a Bachelor's Degree Program A higher judicial officer can apply the acquired knowledge and skills primarily within the Ministry of Justice. In particular, it is counted as a senior magistrate (to its necessity for the proper functioning of the judiciary, see above), a senior public prosecutor, a court secretary or a bailiff. Due to the nature of the education, the acquired knowledge is also useful for team work in the private legal profession, for example. at lawyers, notaries or executors.

Due to the combined form of study, practice is not foreseen. Its equivalent is practical exercises of civil procedural law and procedural criminal law.

State Final Examination in the Higher Judicial Studies Program In accordance with the above mentioned program characteristics and the assumed application of the graduate, a higher judicial officer must verify whether students have acquired not only the necessary theoretical knowledge (whether oral part of the state final examination), but whether they can apply them in practice whether they have acquired the skills necessary for the future performance of their profession. Writing and defense of a bachelor thesis would not be sufficient to examine this practical aspect. Therefore, the possibility provided by Section 45 (3) of the Higher Education Act is used and the bachelor thesis is abandoned. Instead, students are part of the state final exam of writing and defending the diploma thesis.

The diploma task is to examine the student's ability to solve the case within the scope of the competencies of a higher court clerk or higher official of the public prosecutor's office. Higher judiciary officers and higher civil servants may perform acts both in civil and judicial proceedings. Accordingly, the diploma thesis is divided into two sub-sections, respectively. two tasks:

1. the processing and defense of a civil judicial task

2. processing and defense of the criminal proceedings.

In the information system of Masaryk University, after the completion of the diploma thesis, the following will be published:

1. assignment of the diploma thesis

2. a model solution for the diploma thesis

3. Evaluation of the specific solution of each student's diploma thesis.

On the basis of this information, students will have access not only to what the assignment and solving of diploma assignments in the previous semesters (which can help them in preparation), but they will also know how the diploma task should be worked out and whether it corresponds to their solution. As a result, students will be able to prepare for the defense of the diploma thesis within the oral part of the state final examination.

Upon successful completion of this course, it is possible to continue in postgraduate studies, but only in the Public Administration study program, Public Administration, whose graduation is not considered a complete legal education. After completing it, it is not possible to practice certain professions in the judiciary, at the prosecution, at law, etc.

Graduation in the bachelor's degree program does not give rise to entitlement to study at second level. The possibility of studying at the Faculty of Law of the Masaryk University in the follow-up Master's program Public Administration is governed by the current Admission Requirements for the academic year.