LETTER | The Malaysian Bar wishes to highlight the media release issued by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB) on March 29 regarding the requirements for holders of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) qualification to sit for the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) examination with effect from January 1, 2021.

The LPQB is an independent statutory body established under the Legal Profession Act 1976 (LPA), tasked with determining the qualifications required for entry into the legal profession, and responsible for the administration of the CLP examination, which is a prerequisite for a certain category of law graduates with recognised law degrees who wish to be admitted as advocates and solicitors of the High Court of Malaya.

By virtue of Section 7 of the act, the LPQB consists of the Attorney-General (who is its chairperson); two judges nominated by the Chief Justice; the Bar Council chairperson; and a full-time member of the academic staff of a Faculty of Law nominated by the Higher Education Ministry.

Individuals who intend to sit for the CLP examination must fulfil specific prerequisites, including obtaining the required pre-tertiary qualifications and holding a law degree from a recognised institution. 

The Malaysian Bar highlights that for this purpose, the LPQB has long recognised the UEC qualification to varying extents, for at least the last two decades.

The Malaysian Bar also highlights that the recognition of the UEC qualification by LPQB is for a specific and very focused purpose — it merely permits an eligible holder to sit for the CLP examination, if all other prerequisites have been fulfilled.

The writer is the Malaysian Bar president.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.