Monday, October 30, 2006
Want to be a Lawyer?
| Being a lawyer in Kenya takes many years. It takes the heart of a patient man/woman to make it to be one. First you will undergo training for 4 years at the University. Luckily for us who left still early were exempted from the Kenya School of Law. After the Univesity, you will be required to undertake pupilage in a law firm (mostly) for 1 year. Those who go to the Kenya School of Law do so for 9 months and spend the rest of the time for 3 months. Undertaking Law is becoming more and more a difficult option for many. The old(er) lawyers are taking stringent measures to control influx of lawyers in Kenya. That is why it is currently been proposed that the number of years at school be set to two. The young lawyer then waits for approximately another year to be admitted to the Bar. The most disillusioning period for a lawyer is that of post pupilage period. No firm is obliged to keep you. You are not a lawyer, you are not an advocate. So what are you supposed to be doing? Well the CJ is trying to admit lawyers to the bar at monthly intervals but still the post pupilage period is not less than 6 months. Young lawyers in Kenya face very difficult situations; Underpayment Sexual Harassment (females) It is now clear that the Law Society of Kenya has done little or nothing to agitate for the better treatment of young lawyers. The first of these should be to fix a minimum wage and deal with cases of Sexual Harassment as and when they arise. It is time the young lawyers moved out of the wood work and agitatefor their rights. |
