Supreme Court Delivers Landmark Relief for Law Students: LLB Reduced to 4 Years, SEE-Law Suspended for Foreign Graduates

In a major development welcomed across the legal and academic community, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has approved two long-standing demands of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Directorate of Legal Education (DLE), bringing significant relief for aspiring law students nationwide.

The apex court has allowed the reduction of the LLB program duration from five years to four years, aligning it with the standard length of other undergraduate degrees in Pakistan. This move comes in response to the joint application submitted by the PBC, DLE, and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), aiming to streamline legal education and reduce the academic burden on students.

Adding to the celebration, the Supreme Court has also suspended the controversial Special Equivalence Examination (SEE-Law) for foreign law graduates whose applications for enrollment with bar councils are pending. The examination had long been criticized as discriminatory, particularly because foreign law graduates were already required to appear for the Law Graduate Assessment Test (LAW-GAT) — a prerequisite for legal practice in Pakistan.

The Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council, Ch. Tahir Nasrullah Warraich expressed strong appreciation for the decision. In a formal press release, he stated:

> “This is a historic decision. The Hon'ble Supreme Court has accepted our application and suspended the SEE-Law exam, recognizing that it placed an unfair and redundant burden on foreign law degree holders. These graduates already have to appear in LAW-GAT, so an additional exam was unjustified.”

He further added:

> “The reduction of the LLB program from five to four years is a major academic reform that will benefit thousands of students across the country. It brings legal education in line with other disciplines and removes an unnecessary year of expense and delay for students pursuing careers in law.”

This development has sparked waves of positivity on social media, with law students, educational institutions, and young professionals hailing the Supreme Court’s judgment as timely and progressive.