Legal Practice Act, 2014 (Act No. 28 of 2014)Chapter 3 : Regulation of Legal Practitioners and Candidate Legal Practitioners26. Minimum legal qualifications and practical vocational training |
(1) | A person qualifies to be admitted and enrolled as a legal practitioner, if that person has— |
(a) | satisfied all the requirements for the LLB degree obtained at any university registered in the Republic, after pursuing for that degree— |
(i) | a course of study of not less than four years; or |
(ii) | a course of study of not less than five years if the LLB degree is preceded by a bachelor’s degree other than the LLB degree, as determined in the rules of the university in question and approved by the Council; or |
(b) | subject to section 24(2)(b), satisfied all the requirements for a law degree obtained in a foreign country, which is equivalent to the LLB degree and recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority established by the National Qualifications Framework Act, 2008 (Act No. 67 of 2008); and |
(c) | undergone all the practical vocational training requirements as a candidate legal practitioner prescribed by the Minister, including— |
(i) | community service as contemplated in section 29, and |
(ii) | a legal practice management course for candidate legal practitioners who intend to practise as attorneys or as advocates referred to in section 34(2)(b); and |
(d) | passed a competency-based examination or assessment for candidate legal practitioners as may be determined in the rules. |
(2) | An attorney qualifies to be enrolled as a conveyancer, if he or she has passed a competency-based examination or assessment of conveyancers as determined in the rules by the Council. |
(3) | An attorney qualifies to be enrolled as a notary, if he or she has passed a competency-based examination or assessment for notaries as determined in the rules by the Council. |