Background
The Kenya School of Law is an institution established
under the Kenya School of Law Act, No 26 of 2012. In exercise of its mandate
the School wishes to establish and offer a Diploma in Law (Paralegal) Studies
programme.
It is envisaged that this programme will bridge the
existing gap in a middle cadre to support legal professionals at the practicing
Bar, the corporate world and government institutions.
Justification and Needs Assessment
The School embarked on a needs assessment in paralegal
services. This was based on an earlier certificate course that ran between
2000-2003 at the School. That programme was stopped for lack of a policy and
regulatory framework. About 600 students had gone through that programme and
interviews with them and other stakeholders indicate that there is need to
urgently reintroduce the programme at a more advanced level.
It is against this background that the School introduced
the Diploma in Law (Paralegal Studies) to serve among others the Kenya Police,
Kenya Prisons, the Judiciary, the State Law Office, the Bar and Government
departments among other stakeholders.
Location
The Paralegal program is conducted at the Kenya School of
Law town campus which is situated at Development House, 5th Floor, Moi Avenue
Nairobi.
Duration and Pattern of the Programme
The programme shall last for a minimum period of two (2)
academic years comprising of three (3) terms of lectures offered by the School
in each year.
To qualify for the award of the Diploma in Law (Paralegal
Studies), candidates must complete the course of studying not less than two (2)
academic years and not more than three (3) academic years.
The course shall be offered in terms of specific subjects
in law and related disciplines. The programme consists of twenty four (24)
subjects.
Summary of Subjects
Year 1
- Computer
Applications and ICT I
- Introduction
to Law & Legal Systems
- Elements
of Contract Law
- Elements
of Property Law
- Communication
Skills
- Elements
of Commercial Law
- General
Principles of Constitutional Law
- Conveyancing
- Elements
of Law of Business Associations
- Elements
of Criminal Law
- Family
Law
- Civil
Procedure
Year 2
- Law
of Succession
- Law
of Torts
- Criminal
Procedure
- Fundamentals
of Office Practice and Management
- Fundamentals
of Book-Keeping and Accounting
- Introduction
to Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Introduction
to Human Rights
- Introduction
to Environmental Law
- Ethics
and Professionalism
- Employment
Law
- Records
Management
- Introduction
to Legal Research and Writing
- Attachment
Examinations shall be conducted either at the Kenya
School of Law or an accredited Centre and in both cases shall be supervised by
the School.
All subjects shall be examined during the term in which
they are taken. Such examinations shall be named ordinary examinations.
Examinations shall consist of continuous assessment tests
and end of term examinations.
Continuous assessment tests shall account for 30% of the
total mark in the subject, and the end of term examination constituting 70% of
the total mark in the subject.
No candidate shall be admitted to an end of term
examination unless the candidate attended at least two thirds of the course of
study for the subject in question. Such candidate shall be deemed to have
failed the unit and shall be required to repeat the unit.
All units shall be graded out of 100 marks and the pass
mark shall be 50%. The mark grade shall be translated into letter grades as
follows:- - 70% and above - A
- 60% and below - 70% B
- 50% and below - 60% C
- Below 50% - E
Where a student fails in any subject, he may resit the
end of term exam when the subject is next offered. Such a student will have to
score at least 35 out of 70 marks in the written examination to pass the
course.
Examination Irregularities
A student who is alleged to have been involved in any
examination irregularity as defined in the School Examination Regulations will
have his/her examination results withheld until a verdict is arrived at by the
School Disciplinary Committee.
A student who is found guilty of any examination
irregularity shall be subject to the appropriate penalties as detailed in
School Examination Regulations and shall not proceed with the course of study
until the matter is conclusively resolved.
Certification and Award
To be considered for the award of the Diploma in
Paralegal Studies, a candidate must have taken and passed in all the prescribed
twenty-four (24) subjects together with attachment.
Contact Info
Kenya School of
Law, Karen - Langata South Road, P.O. Box 30369 - 00100, Nairobi
Phone #:
0202699581/2/3/4/2/3/4
Email: lawschool@ksl.ac.ke