Being prepared and determining your professional path as a law student are two basic steps to securing your desired legal employment.
You have two choices: BCom Law Degree + LLB Law Degree or LLB Law Degree alone
The minimal need is to enrol in and finish an LLB Law Degree, which is a four-year degree. You can also complete the BCom Law Degree before the LLB Law Degree, while this is not required.
The Amendment Act to the Qualification of Legal Practitioners Act of 1997 states that an LLB Law Degree is necessary to practise law in South Africa. The degree must be obtained at a recognised South African law school in South Africa, which might be one of the country’s premier universities or a college.
The LLB Law Degree should be finished in four years, but if you also pursue the BCom Law Degree, it can take up to five years. If you graduate with a law degree from anywhere other than South Africa, you must check with the NFA to see if your degree is comparable to an LLB in South Africa.
Work on vacation
You will need to apply directly to legal firms for work experience during the July or December breaks in your second year or as early as the conclusion of your second year of university education. Most well-known legal firms in South Africa provide two to three weeks of work experience.
Clerkship Articles
To become an attorney, you must first work at a legal firm as a candidate attorney under the supervision of a practising attorney. According to the Attorneys Act, a prospective attorney must successfully complete his Articles of Clerkship while also attending part-time law school after two years.
Another option is for a potential attorney to attend full-time law school and cut this duration down to one year.
Sign your contract.
Ensure that your contract is registered with the relevant law society of the province in which you work within two months of beginning your articles, and that the contract is backdated to the start date of your articles so that you do not miss out on the two months worked.
PLT (Practical Legal Training) – Law school
PLT is a mandatory practical legal training course that teaches you legal skills and prepares you for board exams. Before you may be accepted as an attorney, you must finish your PLT.
Board examinations
Following your PLT course, you will sit for your board examinations, which can be written in February and July/August. There are four board examinations that you must take (Estates, Bookkeeping, Ethics, and Court Procedures), however you may pick which ones to take and when to take them.
Is an LLB sufficient to become a lawyer?
Becoming an attorney is only one of many alternatives available to a law graduate; while many LLB graduates do go on to become attorneys or advocates, the number of options is extensive – and expanding! An LLB degree might be the initial step toward a career in academia.
Is it difficult to find work as a lawyer in South Africa?
Law may be a rewarding and interesting career, but it also involves hard work, dedication, and a high degree of devotion. South Africa’s legal sector is extremely competitive, and there are several career routes to select from.
Which subject is most suited to law?
Although the majority of attorneys have degrees in topics such as English, economics, political science, philosophy, journalism, mathematics, and business, there is no formal guideline for law students’ preferred major.
