… The report was commissioned by the Law Society, which has spent the last few months defending its refusal to permit graduates of the GUC-Leeds Beckett University programme to sit Bar examinations. …
… The court sided with the Law Society of Botswana, which had consistently argued that GUC’s law qualifications – offered through a franchise arrangement with the United Kingdom’s Leeds Beckett University – are not recognised under the Legal Practitioners Act of 1996. …
The graduates, who completed an LLB programme offered through Gaborone University College of Law and Professional Studies (GUC) in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Leeds Beckett University, had hoped to sit for the June 2026 Bar Examinations. …
At stake are 21 graduates of the Leeds Beckett University Bachelor of Laws programme delivered through Gaborone Universal College of Law and Professional Studies (GUC), who were refused registration for the June 2026 Bar Examinations. …
… The court sided with the Law Society of Botswana, which had consistently argued that GUC’s law qualifications – offered through a franchise arrangement with the United Kingdom’s Leeds Beckett University – are not recognised under the Legal Practitioners Act of 1996. …
… Stephens had asked the court to admit him as “an Attorney in the High Court and other Courts of the Republic of Botswana”.Stephens argued that he qualified under the Legal Practitioners Act because he holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Leeds Beckett University in the United Kin …
Professor Danwood Chirwa of the University of Cape Town has issued a 28-page expert opinion commissioned by the Law Society of Botswana that critically analyses the Gaborone University College of Law's Bachelor of Laws degree, questioning aspects of the programme while the Law Society continues defending its refusal to permit GUC-Leeds Beckett University graduates to sit Bar examinations.
Professor Danwood Chirwa of the University of Cape Town has issued a 28-page expert opinion commissioned by the Law Society of Botswana that critically analyses the Gaborone University College of Law's Bachelor of Laws degree, questioning aspects of the programme while the Law Society continues defending its refusal to permit GUC-Leeds Beckett University graduates to sit Bar examinations.
Gaborone High Court ruled against Gaborone University College of Law and Professional Studies, barring its law graduates from sitting the Law Society of Botswana bar examinations. The court sided with the LSB, which argued that GUC's franchised Leeds Beckett University qualifications do not meet the Legal Practitioners Act requirement for law practice in Botswana.
The High Court has found genuine factual disputes in a case where the Law Society of Botswana (LSB) refused to register graduates of the GUC/Leeds Beckett LLB programme for the June 2026 Bar Examinations, citing concerns raised by a BQA audit into the programme's delivery and quality assurance. The court did not decide whether the LSB was justified in excluding the graduates, leaving the matter unresolved.
A High Court judge dismissed an application by 21 Leeds Beckett University law graduates who were refused registration for the June 2026 Bar Examinations by the Law Society of Botswana (LSB). The LSB says its authority to scrutinise law qualifications comes from the Legal Practitioners Act and Regulations, while the graduates argued the Society exceeded its powers by creating an additional requirement not in the Act.
The Gaborone High Court ruled against Gaborone University College of Law and Professional Studies, preventing its law graduates from registering for the Law Society of Botswana bar examinations. The court sided with the Law Society's position that GUC's Leeds Beckett University franchise qualifications do not meet the Legal Practitioners Act requirement that only graduates from the University of Botswana or listed universities may practise law in the country.
Judge President Barnabas Nyamadzabo rejected Kagiso Stephens's petition to be admitted as an attorney, following opposition from the Law Society of Botswana, which claimed Stephens was trained at GUC, a non-recognised institution, rather than meeting required academic standards despite holding a degree from Leeds Beckett University.