Bar Council of the Maldives has set MVR 10,000 as the fee for the first-ever Bar Exams in the Maldives.

The Bar Council Exam is an exam that needs to be completed prior to requesting the license to practice law.

In an email sent out to lawyers today by Bar Council President Maumoon Hameed, it was revealed that the cost of developing the exam and the practices in foreign countries were considered when setting the fee. He further revealed that it would cost MVR 20,000 per candidate based on the number of participants expected to sit the exam. However, as it is the first-ever time the exam is being held in Maldives, he said that Bar Council will be covering 50 percent of the fee hence exam takers will only need to pay MVR 10,000.

Even though a solid date has not been finalized for the exam, the council hopes to hold the exam by June with around 400 expected to si the exam.

Completion of the bar exam was set as a prerequisite to getting a lawyer’s permit in 2019. This is the first time the exam is being held despite this. However, delays in holding the bar exam were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led the council to give a temporary license to practice law to 283 law graduates last year.

Bar Council’s training program consists of main five components. They are Maldivian legal system, criminal procedure, civil procedure, professional ethics and drafting. A Dhivehi language module is also taught in this training program.