The Advocates Act, 1970, Uganda

The change taking place in the social structure of the developing countries reflects itself quite obviously in their laws. The legal profession is no exception to this process of change. Uganda had its first African advocate entered on the Roll of Advocates in 1953, and by the time of independence in October, 1962, there were 16 African lawyers out of a total of 170 lawyers. Today there are 96 African lawyers out of a total of approximately 250 in the profession. Although the private bar is still mainly dominated by the Asian lawyers, this situation will drastically change in the next few years. Many Asian lawyers who are non-citizens are leaving the country. Others who are citizens are also planning to leave so as to find a more secure future for their families. Finally very few Asian lawyers are coming into the profession.