In the language running, “liberal profession” evokes trades often exerted in “cabinet”, such as doctor, kinesitherapist, lawyer or certified public accountant.
However, this term recovers a reality much broader. An activity is regarded as liberal since it is not paid or comparable, and that it does not concern the craft industry, the trade, industry or agriculture.
One then distinguishes the “regulated” liberal professions, and “not regulated”.
“Regulated” liberal professions
They are most known. They were classified by the law:
- Some are organized in professional orders: doctors, dental surgeons, midwives, veterinary surgeons, lawyers, certified public accountants, architects, geometricians expert.
- Others are the subject of a particular status: they are the receivers and agents liquidators, of the general agents of insurances, the paramedical professions.
- Others are gathered under the term of public officers or members of the legal profession: notaries, lawyers with the Council of State and the court of appeal, solicitors close the courses of call, appraisers, clerks of the bankruptcy courts, bailiffs.
The members of the regulated liberal professions must comply with strict deontologic rules definite by the law or their professional payments, and are subjected to the control of their professional authorities (Order, Chambre or Trade union). Their title is protected by the law.
“Not regulated” liberal professions
For the tax authorities, they are the people who practise, in all independence, a science or an art and whose mental activity plays the principal part. Their receipts must represent the remuneration of a personal work.
This category gathers the professions which carry on a noncommercial activity, nonartisanal, nonindustrial, nonagricultural and which does not enter the field of the regulated liberal professions.
Some of these professions are completely free, which does not want to say that they are not subjected to payments, laws, legal requirements and administrative or various limitations (e.g.: expert of nonconventional medicine, consultant).
Others must obtain an authorization of exercise (example: owner of driving school).