Juridiskās izglītības jaunie izaicinājumi

Abstract

Political planning documents recognise that quality of legal education is decreasing in Latvia, graduates of law study programmes have poor knowledge and skills in jurisprudence. In order to increase the quality of legal education, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia in 2015 accepts the order on the introduction of the State Unified Lawyer’s Qualification Exam in 2021 in the professional Master’s study programme “Law Science”. At the same time, the higher education system eliminates professional bachelor study programmes and prevents students from gaining legal counsel. The higher legal education system as a whole is transformed. The introduction of the State Jurisprudence Expert Examination determines the necessity to transform the study process, to make changes in the study courses to be implemented, to supplement the requirements in the sub-branches of law, where students’ knowledge in a single examination will be checked. Currently, it is too early to conclude whether the introduction of a single national lawyers’ qualification examination will increase the quality of legal education, and graduates of legal science study programmes will increase their knowledge and skills in jurisprudence.