The Judiciary in partnership with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) have launched a mentorship program to prepare budding lawyers into the mainstream profession.
The Pilot program is set to run for one year, during which the assessment will be conducted for effectiveness where those undertaking the initiative are expected to pay an honorarium of Ksh 30,000.
Speaking in Nairobi during the launch of the Young Advocates programme, Chief Justice (CJ) Martha Koome stated that mentorship program will cascade to budding advocates.
She said the program which will contain two components in which the first batch would be designed and executed by the judiciary and the LSK.
Koome added that the program was structured to ensure that young advocates shall practice pro bono work through a pro bono legal age scheme while the second component shall address the skills and knowledge gaps in the profession.
The CJ expressed optimism that the program was tailored to tip upcoming advocates to gain much needed experience in the profession.
“We will be relying on senior counsel to mentor young lawyers that is why I urge legal stakeholders to support the initiative in nurturing the next generation of legal practitioners” she said.
Koome further adds “Investment in our future is a testament of our commitment to social justice.”
The president of the Law Society of Kenya, Eric Theuri underscored the challenges facing the profession occasioned by poor remunerations and encouraged the judiciary to intensify such initiatives to upgrade the skills of budding practitioners.
He said “the efficiency of the judiciary largely relied on the bar,” and challenged young advocates to embrace technological changes to cope with ever changing dynamics of globalization.
Senior Council Philip Murgor while backing the initiative however raised concern over the large numbers of graduates’ lawyers flooding the market without jobs.
By Elizabeth Mugo
