Many LLB graduates out of their depth - judge

Jappie, acting Judge President in the absence of Judge Chiman Patel, was responding to a survey of 500 attorneys by finance company PPS in which only 31% of respondents believed the LLB-equipped graduates would make it in the profession. 'The main problem is communication skills. People can't get across what they want to say, and don't seem to understand basic court procedure. And, when it comes to trial work, they battle with understanding questions of onus and putting forward a coherent argument,' the judge is quoted as saying. He said he did not believe one could be critical of the motive for reducing the length of the LLB from five to four years (in 1998) but felt that decision was now hampering graduates. 'There is a need to get disadvantaged people through university. But you're not assisting in the long run. They might at the end of four years have an LLB but the question really is: Are they equipped to get into the profession?' According to the report, Jappie added that it was 'optimistic' to believe matriculants, already ill-prepared for university, could be sufficiently equipped to enter the legal profession within four years. Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)