**The Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Act, 1980**

29 SIGNED this *26th* day of *February, 1980.* SIAKA STEVENS, *President.* (LS) No. 4 [Coat of arms of Sierra Leone] 1980 Sierra Leone **The Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Act, 1980** [Margin: Short title.] **Being an Act to amend the Legal Practitioners Act and to make provisions for a barrister to serve his period of pupillage in Sierra Leone subsequent to his call or admission to the Bar; To provide a system of temporary registration for such pupil barristers; And for matters consequential or incidental thereto** [*28th February, 1980.*] [Margin: Date of Commencement.] BE IT ENACTED by the President and Members of Parliament in this present Parliament assembled, as follows:— **1.** Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 3 of the Legal Practitioners Act (hereinafter referred to as the "principal Act") is hereby amended as follows— [Margin: Amendment of Section 3 of Cap 11.] 30 No. 4 *Legal Practitioners (Amendment)* 1980 (*a*) by repealing and replacing sub-paragraph (iv) thereof by the following new sub-paragraph— "(iv) has subsequent to his call or admission read in Sierra Leone for at least one year in the Chambers of a practising barrister of at least ten years standing; or" and (*b*) by repealing and replacing sub-paragraph (vi) thereof by the following new sub-paragraph (vi). "(vi) has subsequent to his call or admission been in the judicial or legal service of the Government of Sierra Leone for an aggregate period of at least two years:" and (*c*) by deleting the proviso to paragraph (*b*) and by adding immediately after sub-paragraph (vi), the following new proviso— "Provided that in computing the time of pupillage for the purpose of sub-paragraphs (iv) or (vi) above, when a barrister changes his pupillage— (1) by entering the judicial or legal service from the Chambers of a practising barrister, or (2) by entering the Chambers of a practising barrister from the judicial or legal service, before the expiration of his period of pupillage specified either in sub-paragraph (iv) or in sub-paragraph (vi), then the unexpired period consequent to such change of pupillage shall be reckoned on a *pro rata* basis on the proportion of one year pupillage in sub-paragraph (iv) being equivalent to two years pupillage in sub-paragraph (vi) whenever a change of pupillage is made.". **2.** The following new section is hereby inserted immediately after section 7, and shall have effect as section 7A of the principal Act— [Margin: Insertion of a new Section 7A in the principal Act.] [Margin: "Temporary Register for pupil barristers.]

(*a*) reading in the Chambers of a practising barrister under sub-paragraph (iv) of paragraph (b) of sub-section (1) of section 3 of this Act; or No. 4 *Legal Practitioners (Amendment)* 1980 31 (*b*) in the judicial or legal service of the Government of Sierra Leone under sub-paragraph (vi) of paragraph (*b*) of subsection (1) of section 3 of this Act. (2) The Chief Justice may approve and cause to be entered in the temporary register any person who— (*a*) is entitled to practise as a barrister in England, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland or as an advocate in Scotland, and (*b*) produces testimonials sufficient to satisfy the Chief Justice that he is a person of good character. (3) Any person who shall desire to be registered in the temporary register shall deposit in the office of the Master for custody therein, his certificate of call to the Bar or admission as an advocate together with a copy thereof, and shall file in the court an affidavit of identity in such form as may be approved by the Chief Justice. (4) After any person has been registered in the temporary register the original of the Certificate of call to the Bar or admission as an advocate shall be returned to him on demand. (5) Any person so registered in the temporary register shall be granted a Certificate of Temporary Registration under the seal of the Court by the Master. (6) Any person to whom a Certificate of Temporary Registration is granted— (*a*) shall have a right of audience in any Magistrate or District Appeal Court in Sierra Leone in all criminal and civil matters; (*b*) shall not be entitled to practise or have a right of audience in the Superior Court of Judicature or before any Commission of Inquiry presided over by a Judge of the Superior Court of Judicature or a person who has held office as a Judge of the Superior Court of Judicature, for a period of one year; (*c*) shall not practise as a solicitor, or render any services or do any work normally performed by a solicitor in England. 32 No. 4 *Legal Practitioners (Amendment)* 1980 (7) The fee for registration in the temporary register shall be twenty leones. (8) The enrolment fee for a person admitted to practise as a barrister and solicitor of the Court shall be one hundred leones.". Passed in Parliament this *14th* day of *January* in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and eighty. J. W. E. DAVIES, *Clerk of Parliament.* THIS PRINTED IMPRESSION has been carefully compared by me with the Bill which has passed Parliament and found by me to be a true and correctly printed copy of the said Bill. J. W. E. DAVIES, *Clerk of Parliament.* PRINTED BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING DEPARTMENT, SIERRA LEONE *GAZETTE* No. 11 OF 28TH FEBRUARY, 1980