LSSA Slams Leaked Exam Papers, Calls for Upholding Legal Ethics and Public Trust

The LSSA is a body that represents and advocates for the attorneys' profession in South Africa. It offers resources, events, news and initiatives for legal practitioners and the public. It brings together the Black Lawyers Association, the National Association of Democratic Lawyers and Independent attorneys, in representing the attorneys’ profession in South Africa.

The Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the theft and leakage of professional examination papers, as well as the possession, circulation and use of any unlawfully obtained exam content.

Professional ethics and public trust

The LSSA has noted recent social media activity alleging the circulation of leaked Board Examination materials and reiterates that such conduct strikes at the heart of professional ethics and public trust in the legal profession.

The Board Examinations are administered by the Legal Practice Council (LPC). The LSSA supports the LPC in safeguarding the integrity of these assessments and calls for urgent, thorough investigations into any allegation of leakage or misuse, with appropriate consequences to follow.

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"Stealing, leaking or using stolen papers has no place in our profession. Anyone who participates in this conduct, or benefits from it, demonstrates a disregard for the law and for the public that lawyers are sworn to serve.

If an investigation confirms involvement, such a person should expect decisive action and should not anticipate a future in the legal profession," President of the LSSA, Nkosana Mvundlela, noted.

Code of Conduct

Professional ethics are not negotiable. The LPC Code of Conduct makes it clear that conduct which brings the profession into disrepute amounts to misconduct. The LPC’s disciplinary framework provides for the investigation and adjudication of such misconduct, including matters relating to candidate legal practitioners. Confirmed involvement in examination leaks may result in the invalidation of results, exclusion from future sittings and serious consequences for admission.

The LSSA calls on the profession and candidates to report suspicions or evidence of leaks immediately. Complaints and information should be lodged directly with the LPC through its channels. This is not the first time the profession has had to confront the threat of exam leaks. In 2018, the problem had grave consequences for candidates and for the profession’s reputation. The LSSA will not allow a repeat of such harm and will support the LPC and law enforcement to ensure accountability.

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"The legal profession rests on integrity, competence and the rule of law. Cheating corrodes each of these pillars. We will continue to work with the LPC to protect the fairness of the examinations and the credibility of the profession," Mvundlela added.

3 More stories about leaked exam papers

• Briefly News also reported that A truck transporting TVET exams was hijacked while on a delivery run from Gauteng to Limpopo. The exams stolen were for engineering studies, affecting two subjects meant to be written on Thursday and Friday.
• The Matric 2020 final exams have encountered yet another major challenge amid already difficult circumstances.
• The education quality watchdog Umalusi revealed that more than 400 learners cheated in the National Senior Certificate exams for 2024.

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Source: Briefly News