Judge flags lawyers' poor English

Ugandan High Court Judge Samuel Emokol has called on universities teaching law to consider establishing English as a course unit as lawyers struggle to express themselves in the language while making court submissions. Speaking at the launch of Kabale University Faculty of Law, Emokol said that at times, the court presiding officers were compelled to wonder which universities produced some lawyers because their ‘submissions were ‘embarrassing,’, according to a report in The Independent. Emokol suggested that university law faculties should have English as a course unit, and also suggested that all university faculties should only admit students who have passed English with at least a credit at O Level. ‘English is the language of court and there’s no way you can go around it, yet I have seen people struggling to make submissions in the language,’ he said. Kabale University vice-chancellor Professor Joy Kwesiga said she hoped the law faculty would also inculcate values of humanity (ubuntu) into the students, such as empathy and equality. ‘You know the lawyers have this common analogy that "the law is clear", but there’s also humanity. I’m not asking you to bend the law, but to be considerate while executing your duties out there,’ she said.