With a very high matriculation standard for entry into the law degree, the University of the West Indies designed a programme aimed at preparing students for a successful transition into the undergraduate Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme.
On Friday, the university welcomed 165 students as its first cohort into the Pre-Law Programme.
Designed to prepare aspiring law students for the undergraduate law programme at the University of the West Indies, the Pre-Law Certificate Programme, in its first intake, has 165 students registered.
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr. Alicia Elias-Roberts, says the programme was designed to introduce students to the foundational structures that would be presented in the degree.
“The study of law is very demanding. We found that sometimes students will not successful in the law programme because — one of the reasons some students said — is they weren’t prepared for this. So we felt that having something that is preparatory would assist them in being more successful if they are admitted into the programme and they accepted that offer, then we think this will help with that success rate.”
Law practitioner Justice Gillian Lucky challenged the students to question how deep their love for law really is, advising that even if they do not take the next step beyond this programme, they will still be equipped with transferable knowledge.
“Even if the relationship was a short one, even if after you do this pre-law in your case, I used to tell them pre-law in their case, make it a good one. Make it one in which you become better and brighter, that you meet more people, that you network because always remember: knowledge is never wasted.”
President of the university’s Law Society, Shinik-Ann Duprey, agreed, noting that the students will walk away with more than just legal knowledge.
“To prepare you for not only the study of law, but for the practice of leadership, critical thinking, and it will challenge you to analyse problems from multiple angles, to communicate persuasively, and to engage with ideas that may test your beliefs.”
The programme requires that students obtain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.7 to gain admission into the LLB degree programme.