In a bid to professionalize the paralegal sector and contribute to the transformation of the legal profession as well as higher education curricula, CPUT will from 2018 be offering the new Bachelor of Paralegal Studies degree.

The degree, being the first of its kind in the country, is designed to consolidate the fragmented approach to paralegal education in South Africa and bring comprehensive paralegal education firmly within the domain of higher education.

The Unit for Applied Law at CPUT obtained approval for the degree from the Department of Higher Education and Training as well as the Council on Higher Education.

Whilst preparing students for existing and future paralegal careers, aimed at meeting the primary legal needs of individuals and communities, the academic programme will also assist with the current challenges in the country’s legal education by providing a conduit to the LLB degree that serves as both a preparatory and screening mechanism for prospective candidates for the private legal profession, says the unit’s HoD, Adv Noleen Leach.

The programme rests on four core pillars of legal education, namely Private Law, Public Law, Mercantile Law and Formal Law.  Formal Law, for the most part, has been integrated into the other three pillars where appropriate, and the work-integrated components woven into the programme.

The programme takes three years to complete on a fulltime basis and five years part-time in the absence of any credit transfer or recognition of prior learning.

An APS score of 30 points is required to apply for the degree, but for more information about entry requirements contact Adv Leach on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0219596418.

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CPUT has registered a range of academic programmes pertaining to the training of paralegal practitioners with the South African Qualifications Authority.

The programmes to be offered will range from a General Certificate up to a Doctoral qualification.

Last week, the Unit for Applied Law hosted the first-ever regional colloquium at the Cape Town Hotel School under the theme: “The transformation of the legal profession: A paralegal perspective”.

Delivering the keynote address, Ashraf Mohamed of the Cape Law Society said paralegal practitioners can be the backbone of the justice system and that legal training should be about social justice.

He says paralegal training at universities should include the taking of statements and provision of free legal advice to members of the community.

Seth Mnguni, Chairperson of the Association of Community Advice Officers of South Africa, say community-based paralegal practitioners use sets of facts to give their communities access to effective justice without litigation.

Mnguni says paralegal practitioners are trained to deal with prevalent problems in their communities in an unintimidating manner as they spoke the local languages.

The delegates discussed the role of paralegal practitioners as outlined in Chapter 4 of the Draft Legal Practice Bill of 2009.

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.