Freetown, 14 November 2026 — The Lawyers’ Society has voiced serious concern over the Sierra Leone Law School’s decision to release the 2025/2026 Bar Final Examination results solely by individual email, describing the process as lacking transparency and unfairly disadvantaging candidates ahead of imminent retake examinations.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, 14 November, the Society noted that results were emailed to candidates on Saturday, 7 November, rather than being published on the School’s Notice Board in line with long-standing tradition. Numerous candidates reportedly received no email at all, while others said their results contained errors.
The Society drew attention to two notices issued by the Registrar on 8 November. The first stated that failure to receive results could stem from failing the examinations, not providing an email address, submitting an incorrect address, or having unpaid tuition fees. The second directed referred candidates to pay SLe 2,000 per subject between 9 and 13 November for retake examinations scheduled to begin on Monday, 16 November.
The Lawyers’ Society confirmed it has engaged the Law School administration, which is verifying contested grades before the resits. However, it raised three principal objections.
First, it argued that the Bar Final is a national qualifying examination and that private email distribution cannot replace public, verifiable publication on the Notice Board, thereby undermining confidence in the process.
Second, the Society criticised the blending of academic outcomes with administrative issues. Suggesting that non-receipt of an email may indicate failure leaves students uncertain whether they actually failed or whether the School simply had the wrong contact details. It also stated that withholding results over unpaid fees is inconsistent with best practice, as academic results should not serve as a debt-collection mechanism.
Third, the Society described the short window for resits as unreasonable. Candidates without confirmed and accurate results are expected to prepare and pay within days, which the Society said undermines their prospects of success.
The Society has called on the Law School to immediately publish the full 2025/2026 results on its Notice Board and official website, using examination numbers rather than names. It further urged the administration to establish a transparent verification process for affected students, extend both the payment deadline and the start of the retake examinations until verification is complete, and ensure future results are released in a fair and open manner.
The intervention comes against a backdrop of wider concern about this year’s results. Of the 641 candidates who registered, only 120 passed — a pass rate of roughly 20 per cent — while 306 failed outright, 170 were referred in one or two subjects and must resit, and 45 were absent.
The results were released after a delay of nearly four months, and the Sierra Leone Bar Association had already raised similar questions about the email-only method and the need for formal individual notification earlier in the week.
The Bar Final Examination is the final professional hurdle for law graduates seeking admission to practise as barristers and solicitors in Sierra Leone under the Council of Legal Education. Public confidence in its administration is therefore regarded as essential to the integrity of the legal profession.
The Lawyers’ Society, a body of legal practitioners committed to the rule of law and professional standards, reaffirmed its willingness to engage constructively with the Law School and other authorities to protect fairness, uphold the integrity of the profession, and safeguard the interests of aspiring lawyers.
