Kampala, (UG): The Law Development Centre (LDC) has unveiled a new curriculum for its Bar course, which will come into effect for the incoming academic year 2023/2024 aiming to prioritize practical skills over theoretical knowledge.
Ms. Annette Mutabingwa, the head of the Bar Course, emphasized that the new curriculum will focus on imparting skills relevant to the legal profession, with a particular emphasis on ethics and professional conduct.
During an orientation session for newly admitted students, Ms. Mutabingwa stated, “The new Bar Course curriculum focuses on skill impartation and less on theories. You must have skills as well as knowledge that is relevant to the legal profession. We are also emphasizing ethics and professional conduct.”
As part of this curriculum overhaul, several elective subjects have been dropped, including taxation, accounting, management, and research proposal. These subjects have been replaced with more practical legal skills such as trial advocacy, legal ethics and professionalism, a group-based firm project, and alternative dispute resolution.
Mr. Frank Nigel Othembi, the director of LDC, explained that the previous curriculum had been in use since 2015, and it was customary to review the curriculum every three to five years.
He stated, “LDC, with approval of the Law Council, has adopted a modern simplified curriculum. It is focused on practical legal practice skills instead of knowledge (that is taught at universities).”
This updated curriculum is expected to reduce the workload on students and offer significant benefits. LDC has been orienting newly admitted students, who graduated from 12 accredited law schools in the country.
Mr. Othembi cautioned the students that the Bar Course demands utmost commitment and dedication, emphasizing that it is a demanding full-time program that requires a balance between academic work and personal life.
Under the new curriculum, students are required to adhere to a specific dress code, which mandates the use of black suits to symbolize the discipline and values of the institution.
LDC, with branches in Kampala, Mbarara, and Lira, is the sole institution in the country offering the postgraduate diploma in legal practice, and it is a prerequisite for any lawyer seeking to represent a litigant in court.
Established in 1970 by the Law Development Centre Act, LDC is a government-owned institution responsible for research, law reform, publications, law reporting, and community legal services.
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