The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) revising its legal education rules has decided that the duration of the LLB course shall not be less than five years. The bar has taken this decision in view of deteriorating standard and quality of legal education.
However, present three- year LL.B. programme shall discontinue after three years of enforcement of these rules, and no further admission to LL.B. (three-year programme) would be given by any university/law college says a release issued by the PBC. "Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules of 1978" as well as the rules regarding "Affiliation of Law Colleges" and "PBC (Recognition of Universities) Rules, 2015" consolidating the same in one set of rules and accordingly has promulgated the "Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules, 2015".
The new rules require the number of students admitted in first year LL.B. programme by a university/college shall not be more than 100 and there shall be only morning classes and no evening class shall be permissible. However, the afternoon/ evening classes being presently conducted by a law institute shall continue only till completion of three years or five years LL.B. courses of concerned students. As per the new rules a university/college intending to impart legal education at the level of LL.M/PhD shall have to seek prior permission of the Pakistan Bar Council and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
An institute already offering LL.M/PhD shall have to seek ratification of their said programme from the PBC and HEC within six months of promulgation of these rules. No university or degree awarding institution shall affiliate any law college after enforcement of the rules.
The bar announced that the universities/degree awarding institutions imparting legal education, shall certify and inform the PBC in writing, at the start of every academic year that each and every private law college affiliated with them, is implementing and adhering to these rules in letter and spirit. No institution shall operate for imparting legal education under international/external/distance learning programme of any foreign university without getting No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Bar Council. However, the institutions already doing so shall approach the bar for issuance of NOC within six months of coming into force of these rules, the release added.