A total of 322 candidates have passed the 2025 Bar Final Examinations out of 493 who sat the exams in June this year. Another 72 candidates received references, meaning they will be required to retake specific papers. Eight candidates distinguished themselves with outstanding results, including graduates from Fourah Bay College (FBC) and the University of Makeni (UNIMAK).
To qualify, each candidate must score at least 50 marks. Those with three references are required to repeat the entire examination.
Last year, 377 candidates sat the Bar Finals, with 201 passing and 92 receiving references. A further 84 were withheld from graduating due to financial and other reasons. The number of aspiring lawyers has grown sharply over the past five years. In 2023, only 193 candidates qualified to join the legal profession.
This year’s exams were the 35th conducted by the Sierra Leone Law School since its establishment in September 1989 under the Council of Legal Education Act. Admission into the school requires eight months of intensive academic training before candidates sit for the final examinations. Successful graduates are then called to the Bar.
After being called, new lawyers must complete pupillage before qualifying to practice. Under section 10 of the Legal Practitioners Act 2000, those training at private law firms serve for 12 months, while those at the Law Officers Department serve for 18 months as stated in section 11. Pupillage is designed to equip graduates with practical skills, including drafting legal documents, filing cases, and court advocacy.
Before beginning pupillage, candidates must also sign the Temporary Register at the General Legal Council, the body responsible for licensing legal practitioners in Sierra Leone.
