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SRI
LANKA LAW COLLEGE |
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General Information Address : 244 Hulftsdorp Street, Colombo 12 P.O. Box Address. P.O. Box 1501, Colombo
Telephone # 94-1-473119, 323759. Fax:
94-1-385847
E mail : <locwal@slt.lk> * History of Legal Education |
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The
Sri Lanka Law College functions under the Council
of Legal Education to administer legal education to person who desire to
be enrolled in the Bar of Sri Lanka. The Law College is the only Institution
which offers a complete course of study leading to examinations for those
desiring to qualify for admission to the profession.
As at today, while other Institutions (eg. University of Sri Lanka in
Colombo and the Open University of Sri Lanka) offer academic courses leading
to a degree or other academic qualification relating to law, persons become
eligible to practice the law, only after admission to the profession as
provided for in the Rules of the
Council of Legal Education. Thus, the Law College is the only gateway to
the legal profession in Sri Lanka. Members of the profession are called
Attorneys-at-Law. |
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The Council of Legal Education
The
Council of Legal Education
(CLE) was established in 1873 and the Sri Lanka Law College was established under the CLE in 1874 in order
to impart a formal legal education to those who wished to be lawyers. Section
16 of the Courts Ordinance, 1889 empowered the Supreme Court, subject to the
rules in the schedule thereto,
to admit and enrol as advocates or proctors in the said court
persons of good repute and of competent knowledge and ability. The rules in
the schedule provided for the establishment of the CLE, and its powers which
were said to be to supervise and control the legal education of students
desiring to qualify themselves as Advocates or Proctors. The CLE was also
vested with the power of appointing a Principal of the Law College and other
staff for the College. The
Council of Legal Education Ordinance which was enacted in 1900 provided for
the Incorporation of the Council which, in terms of section 2 thereof
consisted of the Chief Justice, the Puisne Justices of the Supreme Court, the
Attorney General, the Solicitor General and the five Advocates, two Proctors
of the Supreme Court and one Proctor of the District Court of Colombo and
named therein. The
Council was empowered to make rules, inter-alia, to prescribe the course of
studies and examinations to be observed by law students and the payments
therefor. In
1974, the Ordinance was amended by Act No. 6 of 1974 to change the composition
of the Council. The amendment provided for the Council to consist of the Chief
Justice, the Attorney General, the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and
four nominees of the Minister of Justice. The amendment also provided for
Rules of the Council to be made with the concurrence of the Minister in charge
of the subject of Justice. Thus, state involvement in the Institution was
introduced for the first time. By
the Council of Legal Education (Amendment) Act No. 33 OF 1993 , the
composition of the Council was once again changed. The constitution
of the Council now consists of the Chief Justice as its Chairman ; the
Attorney General, the Secretary to the Minister in charge of the subject of
Justice and the Solicitor General (as ex-officio members) ; two Judges of the
Supreme Court nominated by the Chief Justice ; two members nominated by the
Bar Association ; six other members appointed by the Minister of Justice from
among persons of standing in the legal profession or persons who hold or have
held judicial office or who are or have been engaged in the teaching of law or
legal research or who have secured academic distinction in law or made
contributions to legal knowledge. The
present composition of the Council and the current incumbents are as follows -
Ex-officio
members
Hon. Sarath N. Silva, P.C., Chief Justice
(Chairman)
Hon. K.C. Kamalasabayson, P.C., Attorney-General Mrs. Dhara S. Wijayatilake, Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Law Reform and National
Integration Two
Judges of the Supreme Court, nominated by the Chief Justice Hon. Justice P. Edussuriya -vacant- Six
members appointed by the Minister of Justice
Hon. Justice Dr. Shirani A. Bandaranayake
Hon. Justice Ameer Ismail
Hon. Justice C.V. Wigneswaran -vacant- -vacant- -vacant- Two
members nominated by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka
Mr. Ananda Wijesekera P.C.
Mr. Kalinga Indatissa
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The
Attorneys- at- Law course consists of 3 years of lectures for those who gain
admission at the entrance examination. All students are also required to
follow a practical training course
and serve a period of apprenticeship
prior to applying for admission to the Bar. Prescribed courses are required to
be taken in the first, second
and third years.
Law
graduates are entitled to certain exemptions. First
Year Legal
systems and History of Sri Lanka, including Roman Law Criminal
Law Law
of Persons Law
of Trusts and Equity Industrial
Law Law
of Obligations (Contract) Interpretation
of Statutes and Documents Second
Year Law
of Property (2 papers
Law of Obligations (Delicts) Jurisprudence Constitutional
Law Administrative
Law International
Law or Tax Law or Intellectual Property Law or Environmental Law Third
Year Commercial
law (2 papers) Civil
Procedure and Pleadings (2 papers) Law
of Evidence Criminal
Procedure Conveyancing Trust
Accounts and Book keeping Professional
Ethics Practical
training course
Students
who pass the final examination are required to follow a practical training
course conducted by the Law College.
The
practical training is intended to impart certain skills that a practicing
lawyer is required to possess. It involves taking part in mock trials and
moots, drafting pleadings, taking part in legal aid work and participation in
workshops on subjects such as pleadings, negotiation and Alternative Dispute
Resolution. Apprenticeship
Students
who pass the final examination are required to undergo an apprenticeship
period of six months under a lawyer of at least 8 years standing. Exemptions
A
graduate in Laws (LL.B.) of the University of Colombo or the Open
University
of Sri Lanka , is exempted from the following ·
the subjects for the Preliminary and the Intermediate Examinations
provided the student has passed in those subjects at the LL.B examination ; ·
attendance
at lectures . These
students are required only to take the final examination at the Law College
and attend the practical training course and serve the period of
apprenticeship. The
Barristers of Scotland, England and Wales are required to take only Civil
Procedure & Pleadings I & II, Law of Property I & II, Tax Law,
Industrial Law and Commercial Law 1. They will
also be required to attend the practical training course and serve the
period of apprenticeship except in the case of those who have served a period
of pupilage in the United Kingdom. |
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The
teaching staff of the College consists mainly of visiting lecturers the
majority of whom are practitioners. Permanent
Lecturers:
Mr. W.D.Rodrigo
Mrs. K.Nagendra
Mrs. A.Ekanayake Visiting
Lecturers:
Mr.
S.Marsoof, P.C. , Mr. S.Egalahewa,
Ms. D.V.V.S.Fernando Dr.
J. Ilangasinghe ,
Dr. D.M.Karunaratne , Mr. A.Gnanathasan Mr.
S.P.Fernando , Mr. S.Sinnathamby , Mr. A.H.G. Ameen Mr.
J.M.Swaminathan ,
Mrs. F.R.C.Thalayasingham Ms.
M.W.Padmaraji ,Mr. R.Sivagurunathan, Fr. Noel Dias Mr.
G.Piyadasa, Dr. J.De Almeida Gunaratne, Mr. S. Suresh Chandra , Mr.
V.Puvitharan, Mrs. P.I.Samarasinghe, Mrs. S.H.M.Fernando, Mr.
A.B.W.Jayasekera, Mr. K.N.Indatissa, Mr. H.W.Premaratne, Mr.
K.Kanapathipillai, Mr. A.L.B. BritoMutunayagam Mr.
Hemantha Gamage ( Practical training Co-ordinator)
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The
performance of students are regularly assessed through written assignments
periodically given to the students as tutorials. The written work is assessed
by the tutors and graded. The writing of tutorials is compulsory. Students
are eligible to take examinations on the completion of each year of course
work, i.e. at the end of the first , second and final years. Examinations are
held in April and October each year.
To pass an examination a student is required to obtain a minimum mark
of 50% of the aggregate and above 40% in each subject. Students who score 60%
or above in the aggregate are awarded honours passes. |
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Law Students Union and Societies The
College has a students Union (the Law Students Union) and several other
special interest Societies - Law Students Sinhala Union, Tamil Mantram, Human
Rights Movement, Moot Society, Art Circle, Buddhist Brotherhood, Hindu Maha
Sabha, Muslim Majlis and Christian Students fellowship.
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Admission to the profession
Section
40 of the Judicature Act, no. 2 of 1978 provides for the Supreme Court to
admit and enroll as Attorneys-at-Law, persons of good repute and of competent
knowledge and ability, in accordance with Part VII of the Rules of the Supreme
Court Rules, 1978 published in the Government
Gazette No. 9/10 of November 08, 1978.
Section 41 of the Judicature Act provides that every Attorney-at-Law shall be entitled to assist and advise clients and to appear, plead or act in every court or other institution established by law for the administration of justice.
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Post
Attorney Diploma Courses
The
following Diploma courses are available for those who have been enrolled as
Attorneys at Law
These
Diploma courses are of one years duration and open to Attorneys at Law.
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