Year One students of the LL.M. Programme in Constitutionalism, Human Rights and Criminal Justice at the Faculty of Law, Fourah Bay College (FBC), have formally presented a Position Paper on the Legal Practitioners Act, 2025 to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Alpha Sesay Esq.
The presentation took place on Thursday, 31 July 2026, and marked the culmination of a semester-long constitutional and administrative law study conducted by the LL.M. Constitutional and Administrative Law Class under the supervision of Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai.
The position paper provides a comprehensive constitutional and administrative law appraisal of the Legal Practitioners Act, 2025, while drawing comparative lessons from legal systems in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and the United Kingdom.
Delivering his opening remarks, Dr. Abdulai described the exercise as a reflection of the Faculty of Law’s commitment to producing policy-relevant legal scholarship. He emphasized that universities have a responsibility not only to teach the law but also to contribute meaningfully to its development and reform.
Presenting the executive summary, student representative Issa Bangura acknowledged that the Act introduces significant reforms, including the establishment of a dedicated Disciplinary Tribunal, strengthened admission procedures for legal practitioners, mandatory law firm registration, and continuing professional development requirements.
However, he noted that the study also identified several areas requiring refinement to ensure greater consistency with constitutional principles and the rules of natural justice.
Sia A.M. Chakanda outlined the class’s recommendations, which include imposing stiffer penalties for unqualified legal practice, preserving the right to appeal Disciplinary Tribunal decisions to the Court of Appeal, strengthening procedural safeguards, providing clearer regulations on practising certificates, modernizing legal ethics rules to address emerging technologies, and ensuring that the proposed Senior Advocate of Sierra Leone rank is awarded solely on merit.
Receiving the position paper, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Hon. Alpha Sesay commended the students for their thorough research and valuable contribution to ongoing justice sector reforms.
He encouraged them to remain actively engaged in the legislative process by attending the upcoming Parliamentary Committee hearings on the Bill, noting that their recommendations could make a meaningful contribution to the final legislation.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Amadu Justice Bah, who highlighted the strengthening collaboration between the Faculty of Law and the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice in advancing legal education and policy development in Sierra Leone.
