Artificial Barriers that Prevent Underprivileged Law Graduates to Access the Legal Profession

Abstract

This article highlights the plight of underprivileged law graduates in South Africa in relation to the difficulties they experience when they attempt to access the legal profession. It demonstrates that, in addition to legislated requirements that they need to meet, they are also met with artificial requirements which are meant to effectively prevent them from accessing the legal profession. This article argues that, while underprivileged law graduates are not entitled to receive practical vocational training by merely having graduated with a law degree, they are nonetheless entitled to be treated equitably when responding to invitations
for practical vocational training from law firms. This article makes an argument that, while the Legal Practice Council (LPC) has attempted to deal with this issue, much still needs to be done to ensure that the dictates of social justice guide legal practitioners in South Africa to eradicate barriers that make it difficult for underprivileged law graduates to access the legal profession.