By Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele
The Law Society of South Africa’s (LSSA) Legal Education and Development (LEAD) division has identified 100 law students to be placed at 50 law firms in Limpopo and Gauteng during the faculty recess.
The LSSA’s chief executive officer and LEAD director, Nic Swart, told De Rebus that the initiative was started when LEAD received a request from law student ‘LEADers’ from Limpopo. LEAD then decided to see what the interest was among firms in Gauteng and Limpopo.
‘I was pleasantly surprised by the response,’ said Mr Swart adding that the aim of the pilot project was to expose law students to the world of practical work. ‘This will certainly make their study more meaningful’, he said.
Mr Swart said that he hopes that the project will be a success and that if it leads to future employment of these students, it would be a bonus.
Mr Swart said that LEAD is hoping to implement the project to other parts of the country. He said: ‘We will obtain reports from the participants on both sides to improve the programme.’
Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele, nomfundo@derebus.org.za
This article was first published in De Rebus in 2013 (Dec) DR 8.
