How does one get called to the Jamaican Bar?
The prerequisites for making an application for admission to the Jamaican Bar are as follows:
The applicant must:
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Be a citizen of the Commonwealth
- Satisfy the General Legal Council that he/ she is of good character
- Possess a Bachelors Degree in Law from a recognised tertiary institution
- Possess a Legal Education Certificate from Council of Legal Education of the Commonwealth Caribbean
Legal Education Certificate
A Legal Education Certificate is granted by the Council of Legal Education upon satisfactory completion of the course of study at one of the 3 law schools in the Commonwealth Caribbean – the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad & Tobago and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas.
Norman Manley Law School (NMLS)
In order to attend the Norman Manley Law School you must have obtained an LLB from a recognised tertiary institution and, in some cases, successfully passed the Law School’s entrance exam.
If you have an LLB and are called to the roll as a solicitor in a Commonwealth country you may apply to NMLS to attend a six month “conversion” course in order to obtain the Legal Education Certificate (LEC). No entrance exam is required to attend the six month course.
For more information, contact the NMLS directly at (876)927-1235 or (876) 927-1899 or visit their website at http://nmls.edu.jm.
The Application to be Called to the Jamaican Bar
An attorney practising at the Jamaican Bar for at least 5 years must make the court application on your behalf and must also make a statutory declaration that you are of sound character.
How do I file a complaint against a Jamaican Attorney-at-Law?
Complaints against attorneys should be directed to the General Legal Council which is the statutory body clothed with the authority to monitor and regulate attorneys’ professional conduct. If you are able to prove an offence dealing with professional misconduct, the matter would be heard before the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council. A panel of three attorneys would decide what sanctions if any under Section 12(4) of the Legal Professional Act should be imposed, which includes the possible striking off the record of attorneys entitled to practice and suspension of attorneys.
The General Legal Council may be reached at 78 Harbour Street, Kingston
www.generallegalcouncil.org Tel: (876) 922-2319 or (876)924-9190 or legalcouncil@cwjamaica.com
I am looking for a Jamaican Attorney-at-Law, can you help?
Our Online Member Directory contains the names of all of our members who have asked to be included in the Directory. If you are looking for someone and you cannot find them in the Directory, try searching the local yellow pages online.