How long does it take to become a lawyer in Sri Lanka?
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Randev De Alwis
Journey through the legal profession
Lawyer, advocate, legal officer are some of the terms used to describe a legal professional. In the United Kingdom there are two types of lawyers in the form of solicitors and barristers. In Sri Lanka, the legal professionals qualified to practice at the bar are called Attorneys-at-law. Nevertheless, the answer to this question would be an abstract one. The process and vigour of becoming a lawyer is, no doubt a lengthy journey but one that should be cherished and savoured through every step of the way. While it is understood that time is of the essence, if the journey is not utilised to sharpen one’s skills, which are much needed for your career as a legal professional, the time is wasted rather than invested.
Private University Pathway to becoming a lawyer in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, there are several pathways to becoming a lawyer. Apart from the local university pathway, one could also attend a private university within Sri Lanka or overseas which offers an LLB degree which has been approved by the Incorporated Council of Legal Education, the regulatory body empowered to make rules, inter-alia, to prescribe the course of studies and examinations to be observed by law students taking the bar examinations at Sri Lanka Law College (SLLC). Upon completing the LLB, you are then eligible to enter SLLC. It is important to note that as per the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2208/13 issued on the 20th of December 2020, such foreign LLB graduates need to have passed their Ordinary and Advanced Level Examinations at the stipulated standards and would have to sit a Special Entrance Examination be eligible to sit the bar examinations.
Choosing RIC to pursue the Law Degree
“I chose to read for the University of London LLB through Royal Institute of Colombo (RIC). This provided me with the opportunity to read for a world class degree from Sri Lanka which gave me flexibility to study and work simultaneously. RIC itself has a moot court and an eminent panel of lecturers, some of them who are well renowned academics and legal professionals who make learning interactive and immersive.
Thus, if someone did ask me how long it takes to become a lawyer in Sri Lanka, the answer would be long enough for you to become a matured and all-round individual fit to serve in the legal field. Nonetheless if one does choose the foreign LLB pathway, it would be around 5 years considering spending 3 years reading for the LLB itself and 2 years more for the bar exams at SLLC.” – Randev de Alwis, President of Law Student Association of RIC 2020/21
What it takes to lead a successful law career!
A final disclaimer would be that law school is tough; it requires you to work hard and put in extra effort into reading and writing which in fact are vital skills required for you to succeed in the legal field. The key is to maintain the personality that is unique to you and be fluid like water; to take shape and change according to the vessel but sustain your ethics and transparency.
Find out more about degree programmes available at RIC along with the scholarship opportunities visit www.ric.lk or call 077 7774628 / 011 2832900.
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