Ceylon Law College
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Sri Lanka Law College (abbreviated as SLLC), formerly known as Ceylon Law College, is a law college, and the only legal institution where one can enrol as an Attorney-at-Law in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1874, under the then Council of Legal Education, under the British Regime in order to impart a formal legal education to those who wished to become
Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...
s and
proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...
s in
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. The main building of the college was constructed in 1911. It is located on
Hulftsdorp Hulftsdorp (also written, incorrectly as Hultsdorf ) is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is part of the postal area known as ''Colombo 12''. It has been known historically as Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp and Hülffsd ...
Street in
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. As of late 2024, the principal was President's Counsel Prasantha Lal De Alwis.


Law education

In order to
practice law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professio ...
in Sri Lanka, a lawyer must be admitted and enrolled as an
Attorney-at-Law Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the preferred term for a practising lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including South Africa (for certain lawyers), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the Unit ...
of the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
. To receive
admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
, a law student must complete law exams held by the SLLC, followed by a practical training course combined with an apprenticeship, which is roughly 6 months.


Admission

There is a very competitive entrance examination held. It is held every August/ September. The subjects for the Entrance Exam are, * Language Paper – English/Sinhala/Tamil * General Knowledge and General Intelligence paper. Young Members of Parliament previously received direct admission without taking the entrance exam, and without higher educational qualifications. However, it was stopped a few years back and is currently inoperative.


Admission for LLB Graduates

LLB Graduates LLB from either a recognised state or foreign university will be eligible to enter without sitting for entrance examinations. As of December 2020, Foreign LLB Graduates will also have to sit a Special Entrance Examination to gain entry, as stated in Extraordinary Gazette Number 2208/13 dated 30 December 2020.The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
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Course of Study/Syllabus

The course of study at Sri Lanka Law College does not grant any degree or certification. However, once a student has completed all the examinations, and an apprenticeship (including practical training course), they are then qualified as individuals who can be admitted to the profession as an
Attorney-at-Law Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the preferred term for a practising lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including South Africa (for certain lawyers), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the Unit ...
. There are 3 academic years; Preliminary, Intermediate, and Final Year. One must successfully pass 7-8 subjects for each academic year, with an overall average of over 50%, and a minimum of over 40% per subject. Resitting certain subjects is allowed conditionally (such as a high average). As per the most recent Gazette, the Final Year will have to be conducted entirely in English, regardless of your selected language (Extraordinary Gazette Number 2208/13 dated 30 December 2020).


LLB Graduate Route

Graduates holding an LL.B. from either a recognised state or foreign university will then be required to complete several examinations, following which they will have to undergo a period of apprenticeship to enrol as an Attorney-at-Law and be admitted to the bar. LLB Graduates are exempt from Attendance requirements and can optionally sit exams in both October and/or April.


Local University Graduates

LLB graduates from recognised state universities such as the
University of Colombo The University of Colombo (informally Colombo University or UoC) is a Public University, public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka. Specialised in t ...
,
Open University of Sri Lanka The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL; , ) is a national university in Sri Lanka. It is unique within the Sri Lankan national university system for being the only university to offer programs of study leading to certificate, diploma, degrees ...
,
University of Jaffna The University of Jaffna (, ''Yāpanaya Wiśwawidyālaya''; ; abbreviated UoJ) is a public university in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Established in 1974 as the sixth campus of the University of Sri Lanka, it became an independent, autonomous university in 1 ...
,
University of Peradeniya The University of Peradeniya (, ) is a Public research university, public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka, University Grants Commission. It is the largest university in Sri Lanka, which was origin ...
, and Kotelawala Defence University, only have to sit the Final Year examinations, entailing around 8 subjects.


Foreign University Graduates

However, Foreign LLB Graduates from the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
, or other partnered foreign universities, have to sit for all 3 academic years. This rule was introduced in the last 10 years.


Re-qualifying from other Commonwealth countries

If one is a Foreign commonwealth lawyer, or a Barrister of England, Scotland and Ireland; they will only be required to sit for a few subjects. They will also have to take part in a Practical Training Course and serve the period of apprenticeship unless they served a period of pupilage in the United Kingdom


Other Courses

The SLLC carries out several post-attorney courses including an LL.M. from the
University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...
and post-attorney diplomas in
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
law and
international trade law International trade law includes the appropriate rules and customs for handling trade between countries. However, it is also used in legal writings as trade between private sectors. This branch of law is now an independent field of study as m ...
.


Student unions

The Law Students' Union of Sri Lanka (LSU) The Law Students' Union was founded in 1894 as the Ceylon Law Students' Union. The first president was Sir
Ponnambalam Ramanathan Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, (; 16 April 1851 – 26 November 1930) was a Ceylonese lawyer and politician who served as Solicitor-General of Ceylon. Early life and family Ramanathan was born on 16 April 1851 at the home of his maternal gra ...
. The first meeting was held on June 13, 1894. With the implementation of the new rules in 1937, a student was elected as president of the L.S.U, rather than the previous practice where an experienced lawyer was appointed to that post. In 1970, the rules were further amended to give the student community greater control over their own affairs. Since that time another amendment was made creating the posts of Social and Welfare Secretary and that of editorial assistant. However, this amendment has not been put down in writing and has been carried out by convention. In 1991, the union amended its rules further to create the posts of Education Secretary and Assistant Education Secretary in order to protect and safeguard the educational necessities of the student community. The rules were also translated into Sinhala by the Law Students' Union of 1989 and 1991. In 1995 the rules were amended which resulted in changing the name to the Law Students' Union of Sri Lanka. This amendment also created the law students' sports fund. The Law Students' Sinhala Union of Sri Lanka (LSSU) Sri Lanka Law College, which was established in 1874, is one of the oldest and leading professional educational institutions of Sri Lanka and operating within it is the Law Students' Sinhala Union which can be introduced as one of the leading student unions with a history of dedicated service to law students for the past 73 years. The law student Sinhala Union was established in 1943, in the wake of a renaissance against colonialism, when people irrespective of their race or religion joined hands together in the struggle for independence. Thus it was this Union that spearheaded the law students' contribution to this movement. The Law Students' Sinhala Union which was hence established was formalised and re-structured as an organised student union by C. Ananda Grero.


Notable alumni

As one of the oldest professional training bodies, it has trained all the lawyers in the country who have served not only in the field of law but also in various other fields such as politics, social reforms, commerce, trade unions and religion. For instance, three of the nine Executive Presidents had their higher education and training at the Sri Lanka Law College.


Partner universities

*
University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
*
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
*
University of Colombo The University of Colombo (informally Colombo University or UoC) is a Public University, public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka. Specialised in t ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
*
University of Peradeniya The University of Peradeniya (, ) is a Public research university, public university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka, University Grants Commission. It is the largest university in Sri Lanka, which was origin ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
*
University of Jaffna The University of Jaffna (, ''Yāpanaya Wiśwawidyālaya''; ; abbreviated UoJ) is a public university in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Established in 1974 as the sixth campus of the University of Sri Lanka, it became an independent, autonomous university in 1 ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
*
Open University of Sri Lanka The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL; , ) is a national university in Sri Lanka. It is unique within the Sri Lankan national university system for being the only university to offer programs of study leading to certificate, diploma, degrees ...
,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...


See also

* Sri Lankan universities


References


External links


Official website

Law College Entrance Exam
{{Authority control Universities and colleges in Colombo Universities and colleges established in 1874 1874 establishments in Ceylon