Law Firm Drops Bar Course Clerk Over ‘Unbudgeted’ Allowance Demands

What the report says

A law firm in Jinja has ended a bar course clerkship placement after saying the student made allowance demands the firm had not planned for. According to Watchdog Uganda, Okalang Law Chambers wrote on August 10, 2026, to the Law Development Centre’s Department of Postgraduate Legal Studies and Legal Aid, informing it that it could no longer host Nabwire Judith for clerkship training.

The firm said Nabwire first reported to its Jinja office on August 4, then asked for a one-week leave, explaining that she had traveled from Mbarara and needed time to rest. The letter said the request was granted, but that when she returned on August 10 she allegedly sought daily transport, breakfast and lunch allowances.

Okalang Law Chambers described those requests as unbudgeted and said they would create expenses it had not planned for. The firm therefore told LDC it was referring the student back to the institution. The letter, copied to the student, did not say whether any prior agreement existed on allowances or whether the placement rules had been clearly communicated.

The incident highlights a practical issue in professional training placements: expectations over support costs can become a point of dispute where institutions and host firms are not aligned on terms.