Strict standards for legal profession, says qualifying board chairman

Idrus Harun says measures have been taken to ensure that Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia’s law degree programme is recognised in accordance with the required standards.

PETALING JAYA: The Legal Profession Qualifying Board says it exercises caution in recognising law degrees from public and private universities as all “qualified persons” must have the required knowledge and skill.

“The recognition process is carried out meticulously and with stringent measures to maintain the high standards and quality of the legal profession,” its chairman Idrus Harun said.

Idrus’ statement was posted on the board’s website in an apparent response to a query by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan on why it had yet to recognise the law degree from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM).

Mohamad, who professed to be a former USIM mentor, said last month a delay in recognising the degree meant that many USIM law graduates could not practise in Malaysian courts.

Idrus Harun

Idrus, who is also the attorney-general, said the board had taken all necessary steps to ensure that the recognition of USIM’s law degree programme was in accordance with the required standards.

“All applications for law degree recognition shall undergo the same process and the board has not granted any exemption thus far,” he said.

He said USIM in 2010 applied for recognition that would have exempted its graduates from sitting for the certificate of legal practice (CLP) examination. Its application was rejected as it had yet to obtain accreditation from the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA).

Two years later, it resubmitted its application but the board’s evaluation committee found that there were weaknesses in the delivery of the law programme.

Nevertheless, the board granted USIM a provisional recognition for its graduates to sit for the CLP examination subject to certain conditions.

In 2017, the committee carried out a revaluation exercise and the board decided that USIM’s law degree holders could be exempted from the CLP examination provided they undergo six months of skill and practical training.

Idrus said the board also decided to set up a joint technical committee comprising members from the judicial and legal service, the Malaysian Bar, academics and MQA to ensure its conditions for full recognition could be granted.

He said the board had fixed the dates for the final assessment of the programme and the re-evaluation visit by the technical committee before a decision on the full recognition could be made.

The board over the last few years allowed seven local public and private universities offering law degrees to exempt its students from sitting for the CLP exam after reviewing their law programmes.

They include Universiti Utara Malaysia in Kedah, Multimedia University in Melaka and Universiti Utara Malaysia in Kedah.

The only overseas institution that has been fully exempted is the Singapore National University, while those which were admitted to the English Bar can return home to complete their nine-month pupilage before being admitted to the Malaysian Bar. - FMT