CLP candidates now allowed 4 sittings in 5 years

 

The CLP is mandatory for students who graduated from overseas and some local private institutions, if they wish to practise law in the country.

PETALING JAYA: Candidates sitting for the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) examination will now be allowed four sittings within five years, the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) said today.

In an announcement posted on its website, CLP examination director Jamhirah Ali said the board made the decision at a meeting on Nov 12.

She said the new policy will apply to all those sitting for the 2021 CLP examination, which is scheduled for April next year.

Since 2017, candidates have only been allowed to complete the CLP examination in four consecutive sittings and are barred from registering again.

Before 2017, however, candidates who failed to pass the exam in four sittings could register again for another four times. There was no limitation to the number of times one could sit for the examination.

Jamhirah said those who failed one of the five papers in an examination are also allowed to resit for the single paper up to three times.

“They will be barred from taking the exam again if they fail to pass the particular paper within five years,” she added.

In another announcement made on the LPQB website, Jamhirah said candidates who registered for the examination in 2017 but failed to make it within the four sittings this year have been given a special exemption.

They will be given an opportunity to sit one more time.

The board has also given candidates until Nov 30, 2021 to register for the examination.

FMT understands the five-member board chaired by Attorney-General Idrus Harun agreed to relax the registration rules after taking into consideration candidates’ appeals.

Last month, a parent was reported to have said that her son’s dream of practising law here may not materialise after spending RM250,000 to get a law degree.

The mother, identified only as Karen, lamented that her son must pass the CLP examination within the limited sittings.

The CLP is mandatory for students who graduated from overseas and some local private institutions, if they wish to practise law in the country.

Upon passing the examination, they will have to do a nine-month pupilage before seeking admission to the Bar. - FMT