Government studying new Bar Course as possible replacement for CLP, Kulasegaran tells Dewan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — The government plans to replace the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) with a new two-stage qualification route aimed at strengthening practical training for law graduates, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said in Parliament today.

He explained that the proposed new Bar Course (NBC) would involve a three-month online conversion programme on the Malaysian legal system, followed by a six-month postgraduate certificate focusing on legal practice skills, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported.

Kulasegaran said the conversion course would be conducted online through a system to be developed by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board (LPQB). He added that the postgraduate certificate would emphasise legal work and practical skills, though it was not yet clear if an examination component would be included.

He explained that the LPQB completed its study on the NBC curriculum on March 31 and set up a task force on April 27 to plan its implementation. The study is scheduled to run from May 1 this year until April 30 next year.

According to FMT, Kulasegaran also confirmed that the government is reviewing the possible revival of the articled clerkship route, which previously allowed individuals to qualify as lawyers without attending full time law school before it was abolished in 1985. 

A separate task force was formed on February 23 to examine the matter, with its study running from March 1 to November 30. The first phase, which included a review of 10 countries, was completed in May.