[Contract of Articles of Clerkship] [Cessions] [Seeking Articles]
CONTRACT OF ARTICLES OF CLERKSHIP/COMMUNITY SERVICE…
Section 2 of the Attorneys Act provides that those who have met the requirements for the LLB degree are eligible to enter into a contract of articles.
Period of articles
Candidates who hold the LLB degree may enter into a contract of articles for a period of two years. Those who the LLB Degree and have completed the full time Practical Legal Training School may enter into a contract of articles for a one year period.
Candidates who are studying towards a LLB degree must enter into a five year contract of articles.
These contracts of articles are registered by the Candidate Attorneys Department. Please refer to the "Procedure" document. The contract of articles consists of the contract itself, Part 1 and Part 2 and a verifying affidavit which must be completed by the candidate attorney and principal where required. The Society is required by statute to register the contract of articles within two months of the date the contract was signed. Candidates must therefore ensure that the applications reach the Society’s offices well before the date to allow the department time to scrutinise the documents and to notify the candidate of any amendments to be made, if necessary.
[SEE END OF THIS SECTION FOR FULL SET OF DOWNLOADABLE DOCUMENTS INCLUDING GUIDELINE FOR PRINCIPALS]
CESSIONS…
Candidates who wish to cede or move from one principal to another principal may do so provided that there is no break in service in between the periods served.
Candidates must lodge such applications with the Society within two months of the date of cession.
Seeking Articles
If you are looking for an attorney to engage you as a candidate attorney, here are some hints:
Consider what field of law interests you and what type of firm will best give you that experience. Also find out as much as you can about the culture of the firm. Your Curriculum vitae (CV) should be professional, factually correct and supported by certified copies of your degree certificates. Spell check your document!
Send out your CV to as many firms as possible-remember that many firms have cut-off dates for applications so do your homework in this regard. The De Rebus also offers candidate attorneys the opportunity to place an advertisement in their yellow pages free of charge! When you are called for an interview, remember that you should do some preparation. You should find out who will be doing the interview and as much as possible about the firm. Prepare a set of questions that you may wish to ask. You should be dressed professionally. At the interview, answer questions honestly!
The Society is also presently working on a facility which will allow you to place your details on the Society's website, which will remain on the site for a period of three months, from date of posting thereof. An announcement will be posted on this site, once the facility becomes available.
Once you have successfully secured a contract of articles, you will find all the necessary information available on this website. Best of Luck!
Candidates are requested to submit their applications directly to firms.
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