Starting early next year, Rwanda is expected to start a "school of advocates” which aims to enhance and strengthen the legal profession in the country. This was announced by the Bar Association’s boss during the launch of the new judicial year 2024/2025.
Moise Nkundabarashi, the President of the Rwanda Bar, in an interview with The New Times, explained the rationale behind the initiative.
"We realized that the current approach to legal practice needed more structure,” he said.
"When we examined different legal traditions, we found that many bar associations have a School of Advocates. The primary purpose of these schools is to assist lawyers during their internships, providing them with specialized training.”
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He added that beyond training interns, the school would offer continuing legal education for practicing lawyers and foster research within the profession.
"Through research, we can advocate for reforms and ensure that laws are well-reflected and not constantly changing,” he explained. "By doing this, the school will influence lawmaking in a stable and informed way.”
Nkundabarashi also highlighted plans to categorize lawyers based on areas of specialization, enabling more focused professional growth.
"A lawyer cannot be an expert in every field,” he said. "For example, if you specialize in insurance law, we should know you as an insurance lawyer. If you’re focused on criminal law, let that be your specialization. The school will help organize these clusters and conduct research according to these specializations.”
He added that the school would play a key role in identifying and addressing unfair trials.
"If courts are delivering unfair judgments, we will research, flag these issues, and engage in dialogue with the judiciary. This school will allow us to conduct public interest litigation and advocate on behalf of the legal profession and the public.”
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The school will focus on promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, ensuring that legal professionals specializing in arbitration, mediation, or other ADR methods are well-trained and recognized in their fields.
Currently, Nkundabarashi observed, the legal profession in Rwanda is somewhat disorganized, with lawyers shifting between different roles.
"One day, someone might be involved in arbitration, the next in mediation, and another day in court. We need to structure this so that ongoing training and development become integral to a lawyer’s career.”
When asked about the difference between the proposed School of Advocates and existing institutions like the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD) based in Nyanza District, he explained that ILPD provides a general Diploma in Legal Practice for all justice sector professionals, while the new school would focus exclusively on advocates and their ongoing professional development.
"The ILPD doesn’t control lawyers’ internships or their continuing legal education, which are under the mandate of the Bar Association,” he said.
"This school will give special attention to the unique needs of lawyers, including research, publications, and advocacy, areas that the ILPD doesn’t cover.”
Innocent Muramira, a Kigali-based lawyer, welcomed the idea.
He believes the school would greatly improve lawyers’ skills, particularly in emerging areas of legal practice.
"For example, in family law, there are new aspects like surrogacy, but what we studied was just the basics of family law. We need specialists with research experience to guide us in these new fields.”
Muramira also emphasized the importance of specialization and mentorship, stating that the school could help produce highly skilled lawyers capable of competing internationally.
"It would be beneficial for the future of the legal profession in Rwanda if this institution could point of reference to similar schools elsewhere to ensure sustainability and maximum impact,” he added.