The Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia (UL), has convened a week-long orientation for students who are to be admitted into the law school beginning academic year 2023/2024.
The exercise kicked off Monday, May 8, 2023 on the University’s Capitol Hill campus.
More than one hundred prospective law students are undergoing orientation covering basic topics surrounding ethical, moral and academic issues in the legal profession.
Topics highlighted at the opening of the orientation include background to legal education and practice of law, application case reviews with emphasis on legal education, precedence, analysis and arguments, introduction to the Liberian legal system with a focus on the dual legal system, sources of Liberian Law, and hierarchy in Liberian law, among others.
The head of the Judiciary, other prominent lawyers, law professors, the National Trial Judges Association of Liberia, the Minister of Justice and Dean of the Supreme Court Bar, the Law Students Association and the Federation of African Law Students have all been invited to speak to the in-coming law students.
Making remarks at the opening session, UL President, Prof. Dr. Julius Sarwolo Nelson, Jr., acknowledged the effort of the in-coming students for choosing the path of becoming lawyers.
“I want to commend you for threading the path of the legal profession, recognizing the fact that your success will highly depend on hard study and maintaining and upholding the rules and regulations of the Law School and the UL at large,” Dr. Nelson cautioned.
Dr. Nelson described the Law School as a medium of building minds and professionalism, saying he wants the in-coming students to consider their entry into the UL as an exciting new chapter in their professional career.
He charged the prospective students to use the knowledge they are acquiring for the betterment of society.
“I am with the conviction that you will use your legal skills to provide hope for the hopeless and defense for the defenseless through the law,” Dr. Nelson reminded them.
He assured the prospective law students of his administration’s willingness to provide all the support they will need to succeed in their studies.
Dr. Nelson then seized the moment to explain to the students UL’s policy on the payment of tuition and fees for professional studies.
According to him, all students immediately following admission are to pay a registration fee of US$151.00, and a 35 percent payment of the total fee for credit hour before sitting in class.
Thereafter, he said, a second payment of 35 percent of the remaining total fee will be required before a student sits for the mid-term examination, and a final 30 percent payment before final examination.
Also speaking, the Dean of the Law School, Cllr. Jallah Barbu, said he was eternally grateful to Dr. Nelson and the UL Administration, the Law School Records and Admission Section and particularly the Law Faculty for the enormous support to the law school.
“I want to say thank you to all of the professors for doing so well for the support to the Law School, because this is not an easy thing to do,” said Dean Barbu.
He stated that the faculty’s contributions to the law school is enormous. “These faculties do not necessarily have to be here; they love this country and are also committed to the profession, that is why they are here,” he stated.
He formally welcomed the students and, at the same time, assured them of the school’s readiness to assist each student achieve his goal.
“My office is always open and we are available to help you in every step along the way. Whether academic or otherwise, we can help solve those problems to make you a successful lawyer,” Dean Barbu assured.
To complete the admission process into the law school, the prospective law students will be required to sit and pass a written test at the end of the orientation, in addition to an already written aptitude test and interview process conducted earlier.
African law students’ President, Siaffa B. Kemokai and Willimina E. Budy, President of the Law Students Association at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, in separate remarks encouraged their colleagues to utilize the opportunity and network that could make them successful.
Founded in 1951, the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law is named after former Liberian Chief Justice, Louis Arthur Grimes.
The school offers a three-year program leading to the granting of a bachelor of law degree. Publicly supported, it is the only law school in Liberia.