Aspiring lawyers in Cameroon will be able to sit in for the Bar Examination on March 24, 2024. This is nine years after the last Bar examination was held in the country. An indication that hundreds of young Cameroon wishing to become lawyers have been unable to make their dreams come true. Many would say this is because the system is design to keep out many aspiring lawyers while upholding the privileges of a few, or maybe simply because the regime fears for the unknown if all the younger generation become full lawyers today and the unimaginable force that could be in the hands of a younger generation and what they could unleash.
According to existing legal provisions, the bar exam is supposed to be convened yearly by a decision of the minister of Justice and keeper of the seal. But this is not so for reasons that not even the Bar council or the ministry of Justice have been able to explain to Cameroonians.
This has forced many Cameroonians wishing to pursue a legal career to seek further education abroad in law schools in countries such as Nigeria, The Gambia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and if you can make it to countries like South Africa, France, Britain and the USA before becoming eligible for admission to the Cameroon Bar.
But this has not been all plain of recent. Cameroon has moved to disqualify or simply stop Cameroonians studying in law schools in Nigeria and other African countries on grounds that Cameroon has no binding or existing pre-arrangement to accept certificates from such countries.Â
This has barred the way for so many that used this alternative route to gain access into the Cameroon bar. Rwanda recently left hundreds of Cameroonian aspiring lawyers in Limbo when they failed to be sworn into the Rwandan Bar. Many are now faced with no option after years of studies in Rwanda to sit for the Bar Exams.
According to the Cameroon Bar Council, to become a lawyer, the aspiring candidates must poses or meet certain conditions. These are;
Be at least 21 years of age, a holder of a bachelor’s degree in law (or an equivalent diploma), must be Cameroonian or a national of a state with which Cameroon has entered into an agreement allowing reciprocity, and not have been the subject of any criminal conviction for actions contrary to the honour, probity or morality.
Then there is an aptitude exam for the aspiring lawyer usually referred to as Bar I. The candidate continues an internship in a practicing law firm or chambers. At the end of this theoretical and practical internship, the trainees sit in for a new end-of-internship examination also known as Bar II to obtain a Certificate of Aptitude for the Profession of Lawyer (CAPA). Obtaining the CAPA allows you to take the oath and practice the profession of Lawyer.
While this is the main way for young Cameroonian who want to pursue a legal career, It is also possible to become a Lawyer at the Cameroon Bar without having undergone the aptitude for internship and end of internship exams, in the following cases, these are;
If you are a Lawyer of Cameroonian nationality registered with a foreign bar. If you are a Trainee Lawyers holding the certificate of end of training obtained in a foreign country after a period of at least two years (such can request, from the Council of the Order, their registration on the Roll, (articles 8 & 14 of Law No. 90/059 of December 19, 1990)
If you are a former Magistrate holding a law degree, having completed at least ten (10) years of quality service, and not having been dismissed for acts contrary to delicacy, probity and honour, may request, from the Council of the Order, their registration on the Roll, (articles 8 & 14 of Law No. 90/059 of December 19, 1990)
Former Professors, Lecturers or lecturers at the Faculty of Law, having completed ten (10) years of effective quality service, having not been dismissed for acts contrary to delicacy, probity and integrity, honour, who may request, from the Council of the Order, their registration on the Roll, (articles 8 & 14 of Law No. 90/059 of December 19, 1990).
In the event of a favourable decision by the Council of the Order, they are subject, before taking the oath, to a non-renewable period of retraining of six (6) months, at the discretion of the President of the Bar.
In addition, within the framework of the conventions, an authorization to practice in Cameroon may be granted by the Minister Justice and Keeper of the Seal, after consulting the Bar Council, to a foreign lawyer. (article 73(3) of Law No. 90/059 of December 19, 1990).
Access to the profession is governed by Law No. 90/059 of December 19, 1990 on the organization of the profession of Lawyer.
After the CAPA, candidates are required to have reached the ripe age of 23 before they can be sworn in. or take the oath, The oath subjects the lawyer to professional and ethical rules. He takes an oath to respect them as soon as he enters the profession.
For this year’s bar exams, the candidates are required to submit their files to the President of the Cameroon Bar Council no later than 3:30 pm on February 8, 2024.The examination process will be overseen by a six-member jury, comprising two law professors, two lawyers designated by the Cameroon Bar Association, and two Magistrates.
They will be in charge of invigilating the exams, marking the scripts, and producing an official report on the conduct of the examinations.
From City FM Frontline Editorial Saturday January 20, 2024
