Legal Practice Act — LPC Notice to the Profession: Notice to the Profession: Implementation of the New Five-Paper CBA Syllabus (2026) and Transitional Arrangements (LPC, 11 December 2025) (source: https://lpc.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Notice-to-the-profession-11-December-2025.pdf) NATIONAL OFFICE Building 10 Riverview Office Park 100 River View Park Street Halfway Gardens Midrand 1686 Tel: 010 001 8500 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 December 2025 IMPORTANT NOTICE TO THE PROFESSION TO: All Candidate Legal Practitioners (Candidate Attorneys), Principals, Practical Legal Training Providers, and Members of the Legal Profession RE: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW FIVE-PAPER CBA SYLLABUS (2026) AND TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2026/2027 EXAMINATIONS 1. Purpose of this notice This notice serves to inform all stakeholders of the Legal Practice Council’s (LPC) resolution regarding the rollout of the new five-paper Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) syllabus for candidate attorneys, mandated by Regulation 6(10) of the Legal Practice Act, and previously communicated and published in the Government gazette No. 52388 on 28 March 2025. Please be advised that the new syllabus will be implemented in the 2026 calendar year for training and preparation purposes, with the first standardized assessment under this new regime commencing in March 2027. 2. Transitional framework and rationale. To ensure administrative fairness and a "clean break" between the two assessment regimes, the Council has resolved to provide a final opportunity for candidates currently in the system to complete their competency-based-assessments under the current (legacy) four-paper syllabus. While the new syllabus materials and training will commence in 2026, the assessments timeline has been structured to prevent the prejudice that would arise from an abrupt termination of the current syllabus. 3. Critical transition dates and rules. All stakeholders are requested to take careful note of the following schedule: 3.1 Legacy syllabus (Current 4-paper structure): 3.1.1 The assessments scheduled for March 2026 and August 2026 will be the final sittings administered under the current four-paper syllabus. Please find herein attached the revised time table for the 2026 competancy-based-assessments – click link below: https://lpc.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Updated-dates-for-CBAs-2026.pdf 3.1.2 Please note that August 2026 is the absolute final opportunity for candidates to utilize any existing credits or complete outstanding papers under the legacy system. Executive Committee: Adv Pule Seleka (SC) – Chairperson, Dr Llewelyn Curlewis - Deputy Chairperson, Adv Craig Watt-Pringle (SC), Mr Martus De Wet, Ms Nonduduzo Khanyile, Mr Sello Phajane, Adv. Matshoge Chabedi (SC), Executive Officer: Ms. Charity Nzuza 3.1.3 Candidates with any outstanding legacy papers are strongly encouraged to register for and write all outstanding papers in March 2026. Do not defer papers to August 2026 if possible. Failure to pass the legacy papers by the release of the August 2026 results will result in the forfeiture of all accumulated credits. 3.2 New syllabus (New 5-paper structure): 3.2.1 Implementation of the new syllabus will begin in the year 2026 with the distribution of new syllabus study materials by the LPC. This ensures that candidates entering the profession in 2026 are adequately trained for the new requirements and those who would have not been able to successfully complete all four papers of the current syllabus by the end of 2026 are able to prepare for the assessments in March 2027. 3.2.2 The first sitting of the new five-paper assessments will take place in March 2027. 3.2.3 Candidates entering the profession and registering for Practical Vocational Training (PVT) for the first time in 2026 will be enrolled under the new five-paper syllabus. To ensure that all new entrants receive adequate training on the restructured modules, there will be no assessment sitting for the new syllabus during the 2026 calendar year. Consequently, the first assessment opportunity for candidates commencing their PVT in 2026 will be the March 2027 sitting. 4. Consequence related to the new syllabus. 4.1 Due to the fundamental restructuring of the assessment papers and the redistribution of all 15 modules from Regulation 6(10), there is no direct correspondence between the old papers and the new papers. 4.2 Consequently, any candidate who has not successfully completed all four papers of the current syllabus by the release of the August 2026 results will forfeit all accumulated credits. 4.3 Such candidates will be required to register for the full new five-paper syllabus for the March 2027 assessments. 5. Availability of study materials. To support the transition to the new syllabus, the LPC is currently finalizing a set of standardized study materials. Candidates will be formally notified in January 2026 regarding the procedure and platform for accessing these resources. 6. Advisory note. Candidates with outstanding papers on the current legacy syllabus are strongly urged to utilize the March 2026 and August 2026 sessions to finalize their Competency-Based-Assessments, as no further extensions will be granted. 7. Support and communication The LPC is committed to supporting all candidates through this transition. The detailed curriculum document for the new syllabus are available on the LPC website. Furthermore, the LPC will be hosting a series of informational webinars in 2026 to guide candidates through the structure, content, and expectations of the new syllabus. 8. Enquiries All enquiries related to this notice should be directed to the Department of Education and Training, to the Senior Administrator: Education and Training, Ms. Yolisa Ntsham, at [email protected]. Issued by: Legal Practice Council

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