Seventy-three individuals have been granted licenses to practice law following the first bar examination held in the Maldives.
The Bar Council, established under the Legal Profession Act held its first bar examination in November last year. The Bar Admission Ceremony to admit the new lawyers was held on Monday night at Dharubaaruge in Malé.
The candidates were sworn in as lawyers by High Court Judge Hussain Mazeed.
Special recognition awards in five categories were also presented at the ceremony. They include the Top Achievers Awards, the Institutional Service Appreciation Award, Excellence Awards, Extraordinary Service Awards, and the Service Appreciation Award. The Excellence Award was presented to three individuals who scored the highest in the inaugural bar exam.
The bar exam has been hailed as a landmark achievement in setting an international standard as well as standardising the provision of legal services in the country. To ensure that the inaugural bar exam ran smoothly, more than 40 local legal professionals, including lawyers, judges, and academics, volunteered their time.
While 176 candidates took the exam, 68 percent passed it to become licensed lawyers.
The Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan, cabinet ministers, and senior officials in the legal profession also attended the ceremony.
The Bar Admission Ceremony was supported by the government, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American Bar Association (ABA).
Those who had been granted special licenses prior to the bar examination were also awarded permanent licenses at the ceremony.
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