HOW TO BECOME A LAWYER IN MALAWI

By Daniel Sato 

Welcome to the first post on www.mycareermw.blogspot.com! It is the first of the many posts I will be sharing to help people realise their dream careers. Well, it might not be your dream, but something worth considering.

In this post, I will be talking about how one can become a lawyer in Malawi.

Who is a lawyer?

A lawyer (also called an "advocate", "attorney", "barrister", "counsel", "counsellor", or "solicitor") is someone who practices law. In Malawi, a lawyer is generally trained to be both a solicitor and barrister. The meaning here is that they can both go to court to represent clients and do out of court work. This is unlike in other countries such as the UK where these are separated.

How can one become a lawyer in Malawi?

To become a lawyer in Malawi, you need to have a recognised law degree and be admitted to the bar. Currently, Chancellor College of the University of Malawi is the only institution in Malawi that offers law degrees accredited by the Malawi Council for Legal Education.

Other institutions such as Catholic University, Blantyre International University and Share World University offer law degrees too. Institutions that are accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) also need to obtain separate accreditation for professional degrees such as Law, Medicine and Nursing. Currently, the only accredited Law degree is the one offered at Chancellor College.

Upon completion at Chancellor College, a person applies to the Chief Justice to be admitted to practice law in the Courts of Malawi. Other people who hold law degrees from abroad were required to sit for the Malawi Bar Exam and upon successful passing and petitioning of the Chief Justice, they would also be admitted to the bar.

However, there is a new law!

Under the new law, all those aspiring to be lawyers will need to undergo a 1-year postgraduate practical training at the Malawi Institute of Legal Education upon the completion of their various Law degrees. This includes those that hold foreign law degrees and those that will be admitted at Chancellor College for the 2019 academic year and onwards. Such a drastic change!

Since I have discussed earlier on that under the current system, it is only Chancellor College that offers Law degrees accredited by the Malawi Council for Legal Education, I will then discuss how you can enrol for the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at Chancellor College.

Requirements for enrolment into the Law Programme at Chancellor College

Enrolment into the LLB (Hons) Programme, as the law degree is called, is subject to selection by the Faculty of Law of the University of Malawi. This is done following an enrolment assessment entry exercise. To be called for the assessment entry exercise, the following are the requirements.

Firstly, an applicant is eligible for an assessment entry exercise for enrolment at first year if she or he has at least six credits obtained at one sitting in her or his IGSCE, MSCE, or any equivalent examination system recognised by the University of Malawi. In addition to this, the person must satisfy the following criteria.

He or she must have at least a cumulative credit average grade (or GPA of 3.00) after his or her first year of his or her degree programme in any Malawian public university. The GPA is a system of grades used in universities and colleges. Alternatively, a person can have Three A-Level passes with a minimum of two Bs and one C obtained at one sitting. Please note that these must be in addition to the high school qualification.

What it means here is that you cannot be shortlisted for the assessment exercise unless you have finished your first year in a Malawian public university or you have an A Level certificate with a minimum of two Bs and a C obtained at one sitting!

But there is also another way you can be shortlisted for the enrolment assessment exercise. A person can be shortlisted if he/she holds a first degree with at least a credit from the University of Malawi or universities duly recognised by the University of Malawi; or a diploma in law with at least a credit from a tertiary institution affiliated to and recognised by the University of Malawi.

Whoa, they you go!

Have you made up your mind about becoming a lawyer? You can access the application procedure by visiting www.cc.ac.mw!

In my next blog, I will be discussing the opportunities available to holders of a law degree.

Until then!

I will be more than glad to answer your texts or emails. You can drop an email at satochikondi@yahoo.com or send me a text on +265 888 692 771 (Texts Only)