The recent policy decision reducing the duration of the LLB programme from five years to four years merits appreciation. This reform is a progressive and much-needed step that will lower entry barriers and facilitate broader access to legal education. It reflects a thoughtful restructuring of legal studies, aligning more closely with international standards and easing the academic burden on prospective law students.
However, there is need to highlight a critical concern regarding the content of the revised curriculum namely, the exclusion of Family Law as a compulsory subject. This omission, if not addressed, may undermine the very objective of producing competent legal professionals equipped to meet the demands of modern-day practice.
During the previous five-year LLB structure, it was observed that essential and practice-oriented subjects such as Family Law were either inadequately taught or entirely absent from the syllabus in many institutions. The result has been evident in the professional arena, where newly enrolled advocates often face substantial difficulties in effectively handling family disputes, custody issues, maintenance proceedings, and matters under both codified and uncodified personal laws. While Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia Law) has been a part of the curriculum, the absence of structured, case-based instruction in Family Law covering statutes such as the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, the Hindu Marriage Act, the Guardians and Wards Act, and related procedural law has left a significant gap in legal education.
In this context, the deliberate or inadvertent omission of Family Law from the revised four-year syllabus may have the unintended consequence of producing law graduates ill-prepared to serve one of the most sensitive and socially impactful branches of legal practice.
It is therefore earnestly suggested that the relevant academic and regulatory authorities, including the Higher Education Commission and the Pakistan Bar Council (or the relevant jurisdictional body), reconsider the course design and reinstate Family Law as a mandatory subject in the core curriculum of the revised LLB programme. This timely intervention would reinforce the noble objective of legal education: to prepare advocates who are not merely degree-holders, but well-trained officers of the court, equipped to uphold justice and serve society.
Riaz Ali Panhwar
Hyderaba
