Sunday Okobi
In order to enhance the capacity of lawyers and broaden their prospect of international law practice, the Centre for Law and Business (CLB) has collaborated with Barbri Global, a premier legal education body, to empower lawyers to work almost everywhere in the world through its programme, Barbri international legal qualification.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CLB, Dapo Oyewumi, and the International Development Manager at Barbri Global, Monique Morrison, at a one-day seminar held in Lagos with the theme: ‘Africa International Lawyers Multi-Jurisdictional Qualification: UK and US’, said with their robust package and education, Nigerian and other West African countries’ lawyers and non-lawyers can get the qualification in the United Kingdom and the United States to allow them to practice anywhere in the world.
Oyewumi said the programme was to prepare Nigerian lawyers to practice abroad and to give them the opportunity to have international legal practice as well as to make them have a multi-jurisdictional practice licence.
Having a multi-jurisdictional practice licence, Oyewumi said would help attract clients to lawyers.
According to him, “A lawyer that has multi-jurisdiction experience has to practice across jurisdictions. He will be more attractive than somebody that practices in one jurisdiction.”
He noted that the programme enables lawyers to work in Britain and not necessarily to relocate there, adding that the programme is for those who want to become solicitors.
According to him, “They can prepare documents, get involved in land transactions, appear in the tribunals, and district courts, but cannot go to the superior court. So, what a British solicitor can do, you can also do it too.”
Morrison, on her own, added that the Barbri Global pedigree has over 55 years of expertise, which focuses on tech-driven preparation for lawyers with a global mindset, adding that it has 1,500 foreign lawyers yearly, who are seeking dual qualification with Barbri and has 1.3 million alumni, who are lawyers, Judges and law students.
She said the programme, which is for lawyers and non-lawyers, has a Solicitor Qualification Examination (SQE), which is of different categories and is done online.
She noted that: “Flexible course has a 40-week timeframe. It’s for 10 to 12 hours per week and it’s best for non-law graduates. In fact, anyone in full-time employment and foreign qualified lawyers is qualified to take it.
“There is also a 20-week course from, which is best for law graduates from British universities. It has graduated students more than three years ago.
