Haramaya University College of Law

Haramaya University College of Law; See details on Haramaya University College of Law

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

History
The Faculty of Law at Haramaya University had a strong start in 2002 (1995 E.C.) with100 students in the L.L.B. program and130 students in the diploma program. It started launching this program with five staff members. Since then the faculty has grown to over 725 students and 30 instructors including local and expatriate staff and part-time practitioners. Apart from its regular program, the faculty has also been well engaged in continuing, summer and distance education programs.

The Faculty has settled permanently at the main campus where it has expanded its projects and facilities. One of the great strengths of the Faculty has been its diverse teaching staff and active student body. Students have performed with distinction in several international moot courts including the WTO moot court in Geneva, the African Human Rights Moot Court in Senegal, the Jessup International Law Moot Court in Washington D.C., and the International Humanitarian Law Moot Court in Tanzania in which in 2007 we placed 2nd among all the teams.

Like most law faculties in Ethiopia, the law faculty at Haramaya does not have separate departments, so every law graduate is trained in all parts of the law. The faculty has operated under different curriculums, most recently under the reformed curriculum of 2006. The government of Ethiopia through its Ministry of Capacity Building has invested heavily in legal education reform, expanding legal programs in Ethiopia and developing a five-year curriculum for all Ethiopian law faculties.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Academic Calendar

The course of study for the L.L.B. degree is five years. The normal academic year will run 32 weeks or eight calendar months during which time classes will be scheduled regularly.

Theory-Based Courses

Many of the first, second, and third year required courses are to help students to familiarize themselves with the major law subjects like contracts, property, extra-contractual liability, constitutional law, and criminal law. These courses will provide the students with an overview of the codes of Ethiopia and introduce the students to basic government policy.

Skills-Based Courses

Other courses in the first, second, and third year are designed to help the student learn by doing. This includes legal research and legal writing courses. By the fourth year students will be introduced to the practical aspects of the practice of law like trial advocacy, appellate advocacy, and legislative drafting.

Student Specialization

In the fourth and fifth years the students will have many opportunities to take elective courses. This will allow students to focus on areas that interest them most and examine in greater depth a particular subject area. There is an optional senior research paper that a student may write under the direction of a faculty expert.

Clinical Programs and Externship

The clinics and externship are to give the student the opportunity to gain practical work experience while still in school. Clinical programs will depend on the areas of expertise of the faculty and on the needs of the local community. Examples include Family Law Clinic, Restorative Justice Clinic, and Rights of Prisoners Clinic.

Exit Exams I and II

The law faculty will administer a national exit exam in the fifth year of study which will be a requirement for graduation.

ADMISSION CRITERIA

The Ministry of Education or in special cases the university determines the admission criteria of law students. Admission to the law faculty will be based on students’ interest and his or her performance in the Ethiopian Higher Education Entrance Certificate Examination, which is given at the end of the second preparatory year in high schools. Female applicants will be given priority for admission.