PBC revises education rules

LLB course will not be less than five years; no evening classes

LAHORE

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has revised its legal education rules in view of deteriorating standard and quality of legal education because of mushroom growth of law colleges and universities in the private sector.

 According to a press release, the bar has comprehensively reviewed its previous “Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules of 1978” as well as the rules regarding “Affiliation of Law Colleges” and “PBC (Recognition of Universities) Rules, 2015” consolidating the same in one set of rules and accordingly has promulgated the “Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules, 2015”.

 In its revised rules, the PBC decided that the duration of the LLB course shall not be less than five years and no further admission to LL.B. (three-year programme) would be given by any university/law college.

However, present three- year LL.B. programme shall discontinue after three years of enforcement of these rules, says a release issued by the PBC.

 The new rules require the number of students admitted to first year LL.B. programme by a university/college shall not be more than 100 and there shall be only morning classes and no evening class shall be permissible. However, the afternoon/evening classes being presently conducted by a law institute shall continue only till completion of three years or five years LL.B. courses of concerned students.

As per the new rules a university/college intending to impart legal education at the level of LL.M/Ph.D shall have to seek prior permission/approval of the Pakistan Bar Council and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

An institute already offering LL.M/Ph.D shall have to seek ratification/approval of their said programme from the PBC and HEC within six months of promulgation of these rules. No university or degree awarding institution shall affiliate any law college after enforcement of the rules. The bar announced that the universities/degree awarding institutions imparting legal education, shall certify and inform the Pakistan Bar Counci in writing, at the start of every academic year that each and every private law college affiliated with them, is implementing and adhering to these rules in letter and spirit.

No institution shall operate for imparting legal education under international/ external/distance learning programme of any foreign university without getting No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Bar Council. However, the institutions already doing so, shall approach the bar for issuance of NOC within six months of coming into force of these rules.