Origins and spirit
No society prospers without institutions that secure for each person what is their due. The Academy established this Order to recognize those who serve the law with independence, legal learning and rectitude — on the bench, in the Public Prosecution Service, at the bar, in public defense and in legal scholarship.
Each conferral bears the seal and signature of the President of the Academy, following the opinion of the Order Council, and is entered as an official record summary in the Honors Almanac.
What the Order recognizes
- Defense of the democratic rule of law and of fundamental rights.
- Excellence on the bench, at the bar and in the Public Prosecution Service.
- Wider access to justice, above all for the most vulnerable.
- Contribution to legal scholarship, legal education and the improvement of the law.
Six grades, one hierarchy of merit.
The grades are common to all the Sovereign Orders and determine the insignia, ceremonial precedence and prerogatives of each honoree. The last of them honors institutions rather than individuals.
- GRADE I
Grand Cross
The highest grade. Heads of State, figures of international standing and careers of exceptional distinction.
Shoulder sash with rosette, breast star and badge - GRADE II
Grand Officer
Extraordinary and sustained contribution to the Order's cause.
Breast star and neck badge - GRADE III
Commander
An established career recognized by peers and institutions.
Neck badge - GRADE IV
Officer
Distinguished services rendered to society and to the Order's field.
Breast medal with rosette - GRADE V
Knight / Dame
The entry grade into the Order, conferred for proven merit.
Breast medal on a ribbon; on a bow for Dames - GRADE VI
Flag Insignia
Conferred upon institutions whose work honors the Order's values, to be affixed to their flag or standard.
Crossed ribbon bow with rosette and badge
The material symbols of the honor
Depending on the grade, the honoree receives a sash, breast star, neck badge or medal, together with a parchment diploma and the Order's coat of arms. Institutions receive the flag bow.
Coat of arms
Heraldic symbol of the Order, struck in a numbered series.
Medal
Cross or medallion in fine metal, enameled by hand.
Ribbon / Sash
Grosgrain in the Order's colors: a shoulder sash for the Grand Cross, a crossed bow on the flag.
Diploma
Calligraphed parchment, wax seal and authenticity QR code.
Breast Star
Star worn on the breast with gala attire, reserved for the Grand Cross and Grand Officer grades.
The path to the official seal
Nominating a candidate for investiture is the prerogative of the President, the Order Council, or formally recognized partner institutions. Every dossier is examined in a deliberative session before receiving the official seal.
Begin a nominationNomination
Submitted by a competent authority, with a biographical dossier.
Technical review
By the Secretariat-General, with technical and, where appropriate, diplomatic opinions.
Deliberation
In a closed session of the Order Council.
Official seal
Granted by the President of the Academy through an institutional decree.
Entries in the Honors Almanac
The first entries are yet to come.
This Order does not yet have honorees published in the Honors Almanac. Each investiture will be entered in an official record summary and made public once it has received the seal.
Nominate a candidate
Investiture in solemn session
Investitures take place in a solemn session of the Academy: the Grand Master confers the insignia upon the honoree, and the reading of the official record summary formally proclaims the honor before confreres, authorities and guests.
View the ceremony calendar