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How does one go from studying at IÉSEG to defending clients in some
of the most sensitive and high-profile cases — from the 2015 Paris Attacks
to the double murder of a French couple in Guatemala, and even complex criminal and drug trafficking cases? Abed Bendjador (who graduated the Grande École Program in 2009) talks about his atypical journey, a profession surrounded by myths, and whose compelling mission still fascinates him: to reveal the truth. Mastering the art of debate, prompting the jury to take a step back, finding the right words and strategy, convincing an audience…
Growing up surrounded by lawyers, did you feel your path was already mapped out?
My father is indeed a lawyer, as is one of my cousins – and so was my uncle. But even if the family dinners often revolved around legal anecdotes and courtroom stories, I never felt pressured to follow the same path. Once I graduated from high school, all I wanted was to gain independence and choose my own direction. This is why I decided to join IÉSEG, planning to build a career in finance. Long before it became obvious, the calling to become a lawyer was already growing throughout my studies.
Career path
When Abed joined IÉSEG in 2009, he studied market finance. At the end of his second year, Mr. Kazmierzack, his law teacher, suggested that he pursue a double major. While continuing his studies at IÉSEG, he also enrolled at Droit Lille II University. After graduating, he completed a master’s degree in business law and international business law at La Sorbonne.
Before entering law school in 2015, he worked as a legal practitioner in a law firm. He took the oath two years later and gradually specialized in criminal law. Since 2019, he has been running his own firm in Tours alongside his father.
You studied for a long time before getting your diploma. How did you feel the day you finally became a lawyer?
I took the oath on December 4, 2017 before the Court of Appeal of Orléans. I felt immensely proud and relieved to see years of hard work finally rewarded. I remember feeling the weight of responsibility and a strong urge to get to work. Remarkably, just three hours later, I was already in a courtroom working alongside my father.
Can you tell us more about the office you’ve been running since 2019?
Founded in Tours, it specializes in criminal and business law. I also have an office in Paris and partners across the country. I currently handle around a hundred criminal cases, as well as a similar number of civil or commercial matters, within about fifteen short-stay prisons across France.
My clients range from politicians to businessmen, but also parents, armed robbers, drug dealers, and even terrorists. I work on organized crime cases as well as business law disputes. My clientele expanded through word of mouth among detainees, and outside, thanks to media coverage. Each year, I plead between five and ten cases before the Assize Court — some lasting from a few days to several months — and I’ve lost count of the correctional cases I’ve handled.
In your opinion, what are the must-have skills to be a lawyer?
Without hesitation: listening skills, curiosity, ability to structure your reasoning, courage, and most importantly, deductive skills when you have to process a lot of information in a short time. Mastering the art of debate is key, but the most important skills to convince an audience are clarity and relevance of the reasoning.
Being a lawyer also requires a great deal of endurance and patience. You must be able to constantly question yourself and not fall into self-satisfaction nor defeatism. And above all it takes courage – the courage to stand up, and sometimes, to be the last one to believe.
Such commitment must have an impact on your personal life…
That’s the least you could say! You can be called to the other side of the country for a 96-hour custody case, and hearings often run late… I don’t get to spend as much time as I’d like with my loved ones. Another tricky aspect to consider is human nature. I work with people in dramatic situations, where my rigor and composure are essential skills. They expect a lot from us — they expect us to always be available. They sometimes forget that we also have a life after midnight, or that we too deserve some rest.
As a lawyer, you’re constantly under pressure — even more so in major organized crime cases that receive extensive media coverage, where there’s no room for mistakes. But to be honest, that’s also part of what draws you to this profession.
Business studies seem far from a lawyer’s everyday life. From your perspective, what skills do you think you gained back then?
The five years I spent in Lille, bring back many joyful memories. I built lifelong friendships. Those were five years of freedom and carefreeness, but also years in which we became more responsible. I developed my general knowledge and open-mindedness. I learned how to be and to behave with others and received an education that made me immediately effective and credible.
My studies helped me build self-confidence and saved me precious time when developing my business. I still use the reflexes and fundamental skills I acquired back then in my daily work. If not for IÉSEG, I wouldn’t be the lawyer I am today.
Do you think you’ll ever have experienced everything there is to experience in your profession?
What I love about my profession is that you get to learn something new every day. First, because human beings are a fascinating raw material and each client is unique. Then, because the law keeps evolving — just like society and the magistrates who administer it. That’s why I believe it’s impossible to experience everything. On the other hand, if it’s an enriching profession, it also is extremely demanding.
What goals have you set for the rest of your career?
My first objective is to further develop my firm through several avenues, notably by formalizing ongoing partnerships with consulting and business law firms, to offer them my expertise in criminal law. I also aim to strengthen my presence across the country, as my work already takes me all over France. Finally, I want to keep fighting for the protection of individual rights and freedoms — especially against investigative methods used in drug trafficking cases that are becoming increasingly sophisticated and subject to less and less oversight. These methods (spyware on smartphones or computers, real-time GPS tracking, etc.) will inevitably end up being used, sooner or later, in ordinary criminal cases, raising serious concerns about case confidentiality and the protection of private life. We must remember that special measures always end up affecting all of us.
This article was written by Luna Créations for #IÉS, the IÉSEG Network magazine.
