Parliament passes amendment to Legal Profession Act

The Parliament has voted for an amendment to the Legal Profession Act that will see the license for attorneys issued after the completion of a one-month long training program.

The amendment is targeted to provide licenses for current graduates who cannot obtain it without completing the bar examination, as stipulated in the act. A total of 71 MPs voted in favor of the training program amendment. A large number of graduates are expressing concern over the fact that a bar exam is yet to be formulated despite the act being ratified almost a year ago.

The Judiciary Committee of the Parliament proposed the move to issue licenses to graduates by undergoing a one-month long training program for graduates currently waiting, after evaluating a proposal by Dhangethi MP Mohamed Nazim.

Policies for the training program are to be formulated by the Bar Council within seven days of the enactment of the law and publishing on the gazette. The program must be conducted within a period of seven days, according to the amendment.  Upon completion of the training program, the Bar Council must facilitate the licensing of the graduates within 21 days.

The graduates would still be required to take part in the next bar examination, despite undertaking the training program, however, the amendment does not say what is to happen if they do not do so. Voting on the amendment for graduates unable to obtain their licenses is to be held in the parliament today.