Immanuel Scar Tomas

I principally agree with Smuts AJA that we need to have a serious conversation about the quality of the output from the JTC. Having taught both law and vocational training myself over the years, I have seen some of the challenges first-hand. The number of students admitted to the programme is simply too high to allow for the quality and intensity of teaching and learning that proper vocational legal training requires. The problem is compounded by the fact that many students have no meaningful attachment to law firms or other legal institutions where they can acquire practical experience. Namibia has a relatively small legal profession, with a limited number of firms able to accommodate the number of students requiring vocational training. I do not pretend to have the solution. But I believe the profession must converge and honestly examine the quality and structure of legal education and vocational training, from the LLB through to the JTC and practical training, and consider whether structural reform is required. This should not be a conversation for the JTC or universities alone. The Bench, the Bar, the Law Society, law faculties, Government, students and the wider profession all have something to contribute. The objective should not be to make entry into the profession unnecessarily difficult, but to ensure that those who enter it receive the quality of education, training and practical exposure necessary to serve the public and the administration of justice.