Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo has proposed the need for proper training and deliberate mentorship, terming them as key to refining and improving the quality of future legal professionals built on ethics.

In an address to the law students (future Bar) at the University of Nairobi on Monday, November 17, 2025, Odhiambo outlined the need to bridge the gap and align the theoretical aspects of the legal profession and the reality of the practice.

Live challenge

“I attended the opening session of the @UoNLawFaculty Academic & Mentorship Week, 2025. The theme portends a live challenge among law students, whose resolution requires collective and innovative efforts from both students and practitioners. I encouraged the students on the importance of integrity and independence among lawyers as key ingredients in upholding justice,” she stated.

According to Odhiambo, exemplary guidance remains crucial in inculcating ethical standards needed for a holistic development.

She further stressed the need to recommit to deliberate mentorship aimed at building well-rounded occupants of the constitutional office of Advocate of the High Court.

Emulating ethics

“These values are not acquired upon attaining professional credentials but are developed throughout training and through emulating ethical professional mentors,” she added.

Odhiambo made the proposal during the opening session of the ongoing Legal Mentorship Week 2025 at the University of Nairobi Faculty of Law.

The event, held in partnership with the University of Nairobi Students Association, is taking place from 17th to 21st November 2025 at the Faculty of Law Lecture Theatre.

Under the theme “Bridging the Gap between Legal Education & Legal Practice,” this program brings together distinguished leaders and practitioners to guide students on the realities of the profession and the transition from study to practice.

The 2025 edition comes at a time when the legal profession in Kenya is under intense scrutiny over ethics, independence, and the quality of new advocates.

Former LSK president Nelson Havi recently caused a stir online for recommending a re-look into the manner in which admission and competencies of the current crop of legal professionals are handled.

“An audit of the competence, accreditation, capacity, and suitability of emerging Law Schools will have to be undertaken,” Havi opined.