By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Joseph Essama
Published on 2024-02-06 12:31:13
Maitre Claude Assira, treasurer at the Order of Lawyers of Cameroon, addresses some controversies surrounding the aptitude exam for the lawyer internship. He specifically mentions the issues of sponsorship, additional application fees, as well as the distance of the exam center for certain candidates.
“Several hours before the deadline for submitting applications, many candidates have not yet submitted their applications due to a lack of sponsorship. According to our information, the bar association has limited the number of sponsorship letters for each lawyer. What could explain this? Also, isn’t this limitation a violation of the law?”
“First, we should read the law before invoking it. Law number 90/059 of December 19, 1990 states in chapter 9, paragraph 3, that no lawyer can sponsor more than three interns. No law firm of lawyers can sponsor more than six interns. Therefore, there is no violation of the law.”
“Candidates also raise the issue of the application fees being considered too high and allegedly in violation of the ministerial decree that organizes this competition. However, during some competitions, the fees are sometimes 5 times lower. What could explain the increase in fees for this exam?”
“I have not seen anywhere in the decree organizing this exam a prohibition on additional fees. I can provide evidence that the additional fees set by the bar association are known to everyone, including the Ministry of Justice. Have you heard them contest or challenge it? It’s difficult to talk about money because its cost depends on many parameters. For example, there are some who do not hesitate to obtain this title abroad for a cost of 3 or 4 million francs.”
“As for us, I would like you to mention the exams and competitions to which you refer and which cost 5 times less, but the bar association is supplementing the state’s financial difficulty in organizing it for the past 10 years due to budgetary issues. It was not an inexpensive or low-cost exam. If I may comment, the profession of lawyer is one in which the public entrusts vital interests to an individual. 30,000 F does not seem excessive to ensure the reliability of the person to whom we will entrust millions to preserve for us.”
“Some candidates from remote areas, especially in the Far North, also raise the issue of the distance of the exam center and the associated costs. Couldn’t the bar association create decentralized exam centers?”
“The grievance of the distance of the exam center seems valid and deserves our attention, even if those who have made bold comparisons do not tell us which other similar national exams are decentralized. What is certain is that the concentration of the exam in Yaoundé has advantages in terms of resources, control, surveillance, and security.”
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
