Degree Assessment 2

Contact Us

The Secretary
Council for Legal Education
7 Walterhill Road
Eastlea
Harare
Zimbabwe

Telephone: +263 4 788446/7
+263 8677172080/1

Degree Assessment

ASSESSMENT OF FOREIGN LAW QUALIFICATIONS

The operative portion of the document should take the following form:

I, A.B. of [place of abode and occupation] [solemnly and sincerely declare] or [make oath and say as follows] that I am the person named in the documents submitted in support of my application for assessment of my qualifications for purposes of designation of my degree and thereafter admission as a legal practitioner of the High Court of Zimbabwe, and that the information contained in my application is true and includes a complete statement of my academic qualifications and my professional legal experience.

The remainder of the document should be completed in a form which is binding upon you in the country where you make the declaration/affidavit, or according to the law of Zimbabwe if it is made in Zimbabwe.

In general this will require that the document is witnessed by a lawyer or Justice of the Peace, or other person authorised to take affidavits or statutory oaths and declarations in the jurisdiction where it is made.

Evidence of Identity

A certified copy of the national identity document or passport must be enclosed. The passport must be valid. Where the applicant changed his/ her name in the past, a certified copy of the change of name document (e.g. the marriage certificate or the Notarial Deed of change of name registration or declaration) must also be provided.
The applicant is also required to provide a passport photo that is not older than six months at the time of application.

Verification of Qualifications and Experience

The Council will verify applicant’s academic qualifications, professional registration and experience, and identity with the issuing institutions, organisations, and individuals. This may include verification of references. In the case of the applicant’s academic qualification and professional registration, verification must be received from an official university source and professional registration body respectively.

If the Council does not receive a response to its inquiries from official sources, or is otherwise not satisfied with part or all of the verification, the Council may, depending on the individual circumstances, either decline the application, or impose further study or training, additional to that which would have been imposed if verification had been received.
The applicant should also be aware that if the relevant body which issued his/her qualifications delays in responding to the Council’s verification request, this will cause delay in the processing of the application.

The applicant may apply to the Council for a review if s/he can provide satisfactory verification details. The application fee covers the cost of initial verification. The fee for review will cover further investigative work that is done to verify the applicant’s overseas qualifications. However, these fees do not cover the fees that the outside universities may charge for providing verification. Please note that the application fees and review fees are non-refundable.

3. PROCESS FOR DEALING WITH APPLICATIONS
After an application is received, it is checked for completeness by Secretariat of the Council. A letter acknowledging receipt of the application together with a receipt for payment is sent to the applicant. Applicants will be advised if any further material is required.

The application is then referred to the Council for a comprehensive assessment of the applicant’s qualifications and experience. The Council will then notify applicant of its determination.

COUNCIL FOR LEGAL EDUCATION