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Advocates Training Program

Advocates Training Program is conducted in 18 months; 12 months in-house and 6 months pupilage. Teaching in the Advocates’ Training Programme (the ATP) is conducted on a clinical basis.

Students will be divided into six classes namely Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, Class E and Class F each comprising about 200 students each. Classes A, B and C shall attend instruction in the morning and Classes D, E and F in the afternoon.

Each class is divided into “firms” which constitute study groups where legal problems and issues are thoroughly discussed. During moot courts, there are simulations of actual law firms in practice. Each firm has a firm leader and a deputy firm leader drawn from each gender.

Each class elects a class representative and a deputy class representative who are the liaison persons between the Class members and the School’s administration. The representatives of each class represent both gender.

Instruction is conducted as per the timetable from Monday to Friday. The hours provided for firm meetings must be observed. It is expected that such meetings shall be discussion forums for such problems as may be given by course instructors. Firm leaders shall facilitate those meetings. The class lists as well as firm lists are posted on the School notice boards at the beginning of the academic year.

Each class has 10 firms of about 20 students although the number may vary with the circumstances of the academic year. Each firm chooses a Firm leader within the first three weeks of the academic year and the names of such Firm leaders forwarded to the Assistant Director, ATP. In all, there are 60 firms (10 in Class A, 10 in Class B, 10 in Class C, 10 in Class D, 10 in Class E and 10 in Class F).

Each class is allocated the class supervisor who is a member of academic staff. The class supervisor is the contact person for each class particularly with respect to academic matters. Each year a list of KSL lecturers as class supervisors will be issued.

Students are encouraged to continually consult their class supervisors on issues concerning their studies at the school.

There is a briefing session during the 1st week of the academic year of the ATP program on the School by the Director/Chief Executive. All students upon notification are required to attend this very important event.

Dress Code

The School shall maintain a strict dress code for students, which shall be formal. Formal implies EXCLUDING the following: T-shirts, jeans, miniskirts, skimpy and low cleavage, track-suits, spaghetti tops &tumbocut blouses, peddle pushers, hot pants, vests, etc

Class Supervisors and ATP Lecturers shall stop any student not conforming to the formal dress code and shall not be allowed into the School compound/lecture halls until proper dress code is complied with.

Smoking Policy

The Kenya School of Law is a non-smoking zone.

Identification

Upon registration every student shall be issued with a student identity card. The card must be worn visibly at all times within the School. The card is the property of the School. Loss must be immediately reported to the Academic Manager. A fine of Kshs. 500 shall be imposed for replacement of a lost card. It must be surrendered when one is clearing from the School.

Interaction

Interaction between students as well as students and KSL staff should be through outlined channels. During interaction students are required to maintain respect and avoid fights and brawls.

Legal Framework

It is incumbent on each student to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Council of Legal Education (Kenya School of Law) Regulations, 2009 (Legal Notice No. 169 of 2009) that provides the general legal framework for training in the ATP at this School.

Inquiries & Complaints

Incase a student has an issue, it should be brought to the Firm Leaders’ attention, who will inform the class Supervisor. If the issue is not sorted at that point, the Supervisor forwards the complaint which should be in writing to the Academic Services Manager. He then forwards the matter to the Assistant Director, Advocates Training Programme and if the matter is still not sorted, it is brought to the attention of the Deputy Director.

Inquiries about application, admission, registration fees payment & processing, assignment delivery, examination results, resits, clearance and gazettement are handled by Academic Services Department and Assistant Director, Advocates Training Program.

Other inquiries will be handled by the Firm Leaders, Class Representatives and Class Supervisors (Lecturers)

Students Welfare

The School has various committees which handle student matters:

  1. Students Disciplinary Committee
  2. Disability Mainstreaming Committee
  3. Sports Committee
  4. HIV/AIDS Prevention Committee
  5. Gender Mainstreaming Committee

Transport

School transport is provided subject to student numbers and payment of requisite fees whereby the bus picks and drops students from designated points for lectures.

Any other use for the bus is through a formal request submitted through the Assistant Director, ATP & PS and subject to availability. Transport may be availed only for School activities such as sports. Students may request to hire School transport which will be subject to the terms of hire.

Student Identity Cards

Each student shall be provided with a student ID which must be worn visibly at all times within the School premises. Failure to do so may result in denial of access to certain facilities within the School.

Vehicle Inspection.

As part of measures taken to enhance the security of the School and its properties, vehicles exiting the School compound will be subjected to a security search. At the point of exit, drivers will be requested to open their boots and lower their windows, if they are tinted, for inspection. Students shall be required to declare any electronic and/or related equipment upon entry into the School as proof of ownership. The declaration will be done by filling details of such equipment in the visitors’ register, at the gate. Pedestrians with such items will also be required to register them. Any items declared will be cleared upon exit.

Course Units

Instruction shall take a clinical approach (learning by doing) and shall therefore be a combination of problem questions for discussion, simulation, role-plays, interactive seminars and moot courts.Lecturers assigned to the designated courses shall facilitate discussion. The designated courses are:

  1. Civil Litigation.
  2. Criminal Litigation.
  3. Probate and Administration.
  4. Legal Writing and Drafting.
  5. Trial Advocacy.
  6. Professional Ethics and Practice
  7. Legal Practice Management.
  8. Conveyancing.
  9. Commercial Transactions.

Assessment

Before a student can pass the ATP, he/she shall be subjected to four types of assessment as follows:

  1. Project work (1st Term)
  2. Oral examination (2nd Term)
  3. Written examination (3rd Term)
  4. Supervised pupilage (4th Term)

To pass the course, a candidate must score at least 50% on the aggregate of the project work, oral examination and written examination. In addition one must satisfactorily undertake the supervised pupillage programme.

The Training programmed dates are generally in the following months:

  1. Registration : January
  2. Term 1 : January – April
  3. Term break : 2 weeks in April
  4. Term 2 : May – July
  5. Term break : July – August
  6. Term 3 : August – October
  7. Term break : October – November
  8. Examinations : November
  9. Term 4 : January – June (Pupillage)