Law graduates previously unable to join the Advocates Training Program (ATP) could get a new opportunity to enter professional legal training under proposed regulations from the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
CLE Chairperson Professor Collins Odote handed over the draft Legal Education (Advocates Training Program) Regulations, 2026, and Legal Education (Licensing and Quality Assurance) Regulations, 2026 to Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, proposing the new laws at the Office of the Attorney General in Nairobi on September 9.
Speaking during the handover, the CLE Chairperson said the reforms aim to address long-standing admission limits to professional legal training while opening the sector to more institutions.
“Providing the regulations, a two-year transition window for those who hold law degrees but, for some reason or the other, do not qualify to join the program because of disparate legal provisions both in the Legal Education Act and in the Kenyan School of Law Act. We propose that, over the next two years, we provide them with a bridging examination so that they can then join the advocate’s profession,” CLE Chairperson said.
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Two-year Transition for Law Graduates
Under the current Legal Education Act and the Kenya School of Law Act, law graduates holding degrees do not qualify to join the Advocates Training Program.
However, under the proposed draft Legal Education (Advocates Training Program) Regulations, 2026, and Legal Education (Licensing and Quality Assurance) Regulations, 2026, the graduates will undergo a two-year transitional pre-bar examination.
CLE, however, noted that it would administer the examination for two consecutive years at a cost of KSh10,000 per candidate.
Additionally, Professor Odote argued that the transition period would help resolve admission bottlenecks affecting aspiring advocates while making the path into the legal profession clearer and more predictable.
Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama also noted that Kenya has room to train more competent lawyers, citing the country’s ratio of about one lawyer to nearly 3,000 Kenyans.
According to Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, the transition from university to professional legal training has been marked by uncertainty, particularly over admission requirements and opportunities for graduates who meet the academic standards but fail to secure places at the Kenya School of Law.
“For many aspiring advocates, the transition from university to professional legal training has for some time been characterized by uncertainty, particularly concerning who qualifies for admission to the Advocates Training Program, the standards applicable to admission, and opportunities available to students who meet the requisite academic standards but are unable to secure a place at the Kenya School of Law,” Dorcas Oduor stated.
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Public and private institutions to offer Advocates’ Training Requirements
In addition to the bridge bar examination, the draft regulations would allow accredited public and private institutions to offer the postgraduate diploma in legal practice.
The accredited institutions must, however, meet standards set by the Council of Legal Education, including staffing, class sizes, facilities, and quality assurance, to offer the advocate training.
Lecture halls would be limited to a maximum of 40 trainees and would maintain a ratio of one instructor for every 10 trainees.
The framework would also require institutions to have at least three full-time faculty members and to meet prescribed requirements for part-time instructors.
Trainees would be required to complete the Advocates Training Program within a maximum period of five years and attain at least 50 percent in each unit.
Additionally, the program would also include six months of monitored pupillage at approved centers.
Further, the Kenya School of Law would be required to apply for accreditation under the same framework as other institutions seeking to offer the program after the transition period,
The proposed regulations set an accreditation fee of Sh5 million, with renewal required every three years.
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