The following news about the Bar of England and Wales may prove to be of interest to Malaysians who still seek to qualify as a Barrister of England and Wales after completion of their law degree.
Taken from www.legalweek.com.
New aptitude test proposed in rebranded BVC
Published: 18/07/2008 15:41
Aptitude tests for students wishing to take the BPTC are one of the measures recommended in the long-awaited report, published today (18 July) by a 17-member working party chaired by Falcon Chambers tenant Derek Wood QC.
The working party stated that the proposed aptitude test would avoid any cuts in the numbers of students applying, but rather raise the admission standards.
The revised BPTC would include formally taught professional ethics, a greater weight given to written and oral advocacy and a new section on resolution of disputes out of court, as well as involving members of the public in training on conference skills.
In addition a Bar Standards Board-established board of examiners would oversee centrally set and marked exams, as well as the aptitude test.
Course providers will explain course fees as part of a re-accreditation process, and will also have to publish three-year figures on the number of students who have obtained pupillage.
The costs of the course for 2008-09 will range from £9,000-£14,495.
Wood said: “We have reached the very definite conclusion that admission requirements should be raised. It is not fair on the weaker students that they should waste their money on the course, nor is it fair on the more able that their progress should be hindered by the less able, which we believe it is.”
He added: “There are students who simply would not meet the standards required to obtain pupillage, however many pupillages were on offer. Their deficiencies range from a lack of conceptual understanding of the way in which the law functions, to an inability to speak fluently, and an inability to write well-structured English prose. These deficiencies are not limited to students whose first language is not English.”
He concluded: “By raising the admission standards, we suspect that the numbers on the course would fall.”
The number of BVC students has risen from 1,406 in 2003-04 to 1,837 in 2007-08. The number of pupillages offered by chambers fell from 497 in 2004-05 to 471 in 2006-07.
The report follows Lord Neuberger’s report on diversity and access to the Bar, which was unveiled earlier this year.
In May 2006, a proposal was made that no students will be Called to the Bar until they have completed their pupillage–starting with those on the BVC in September 2008. Please spread the word around to friends and relatives or anyone you know who is keen to do the Bar Vocational Course (and will be doing in only in September 200 
Those directly affected would be law students currently in the first year of their degree. After a rigorous 12-month consultation and research exercise, the Bar Standards Board has confirmed that proposals to defer call to the Bar until after a barrister has completed his or her twelve month pupillage have been rejected.
Read more about it here.
Law students, take note of these recent developments and keep in mind which professional vocational course you wish to take upon graduation.
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