Johannesburg Society of Advocates refutes claims of racial quotas in pupillage intake

THE Johannesburg Society of Advocates (JSA) has strongly denied claims made by one of its members regarding its pupillage admissions programme and the quota system used by the association.

- ZELDA VENTER

Advocate Mark Oppenheimer, in a recent interview with the SABC, described the admissions process at the Johannesburg Bar as a “highly racially charged” system and stated that the JSA has implemented a “quota system” which caps the number of white male pupils admitted each year at five out of every hundred candidates.

The JSA responded that these statements are false. Its chairperson Advocate Don Mahon SC explained that the association presently admits approximately 80 pupils annually into its pupillage programme.

“The admissions process does not employ any quota system which limits the admission of white male applicants, whether to five candidates or otherwise,” he said.

He explained that the admissions process is conducted through a structured assessment model involving both paper-based evaluation and interviews. Applicants are scored across a range of criteria. While points are allocated in recognition of historical disadvantage and the constitutional imperative of transformation, this forms only one component of a broader evaluative framework.