KUALA LUMPUR – Aspiring lawyers who have exhausted all four attempts in taking the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) examination may have one final shot to make good.
An announcement by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) yesterday confirmed that the new policy will apply to CLP candidates who registered in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
“LPQB has considered the grouses and appeals by many candidates who have exhausted all attempts or the four-year period to complete the CLP examination, and upon consideration, the board has made a decision,” the announcement read.
For candidates who registered in 2017 and failed all four times, they will be allowed another attempt through the 2021 CLP examination.
Meanwhile, those who registered in 2017 but have yet to exhaust all four attempts will be allowed to register for the 2021 examination.
Candidates, however, will not be given another attempt in the event they fail the 2021 examination.
As for candidates who registered for the examination in 2018 and applied for postponements, they may be entitled to a special fee waiver, delaying their payments to the 2022 examination session.
“If the candidate does not sit for the 2022 examination, the candidate will not be allowed to sit for the examination again,” the announcement added.
Those who registered for the examination in 2019 and 2020 are allowed to attempt it four times within five years of registration.
Those who applied to postpone their 2021 examination to the 2022 session are allowed to waive their paid fees to next year.
Should these students fail to sit for the 2022 examination, LPQB said, they will be required to pay for the next one.
The registration for the 2021 examination will begin on November 16 and end on November 30.
In December 2016, LPQB announced a limit on the number of times a student may sit for the CLP examination.
This had triggered complaints from many hopeful lawyers, including a report by The Vibes in October over a mother who had spent RM250,000 for her son’s education to become a lawyer.
After coming home overseas with a law degree, her 26-year-old son had failed his four attempts at the CLP examination.
But even with the necessary qualifications, he faced issues registering for the examination.
“Because my son did the O-levels, they initially did not recognise his qualifications. Fortunately, we got one of his lecturers to write an appeal to LPQB and they agreed to allow my son to sit for the exam,” said the mother, Karen (not her real name) to The Vibes.
Meanwhile, law graduates from local public institutions of higher learning are not required to sit for the CLP examination and are allowed to practise after completing nine months of chambering.
LPQB is tasked under the Legal Profession Act 1976 to act as a gatekeeper for those intending to enter the legal profession in Malaysia.
They are also in charge of administering the CLP examination that must be taken by foreign-educated law graduates to become an advocate and solicitor in Malaysia. – The Vibes, November 16, 2021
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