About Us
The Somali Institute for Continuing Legal Education known as SICLE is a pioneering professional development institution established to strengthen the legal profession in Somalia. As the nation’s first Continuing Legal Education provider, SICLE is dedicated to enhancing the knowledge, skills, and ethical standards of legal professionals across the country.
SICLE serves as a bridge between legal theory and practice. We offer lawyers, judges, prosecutors, legal scholars, and law students access to world-class educational programs, training workshops, and professional development opportunities. Our institute is committed to fostering a culture of lifelong learning within Somalia’s legal community.
Through innovative programming, collaborative partnerships, and a commitment to excellence, SICLE is positioning Somalia’s legal professionals to meet the evolving challenges of a dynamic legal landscape while upholding the highest standards of professional conduct and service to society.
We operate with the understanding that legal education is not a luxury but a fundamental necessity for rebuilding trust in our institutions, ensuring access to justice for all Somalis, and creating a legal profession characterized by both technical competence and unwavering ethical standards.
SICLE teaches that legal education is vital for the personal and professional transformation of students during their years of study and beyond. The institute frames legal education not merely as an academic exercise but as a fundamental approach to life itself. It fosters intellectual rigor, open mindedness, and a commitment to the pursuit of justice and truth.
The Birth of SICLE: A Historic Milestone
The Somali Institute for Continuing Legal Education has roots that go back nearly fifty years. The story begins at the Somali National University in the 1970s when a group of young pioneers recognized a critical gap between what students learned in university books and what they needed to do in real courtrooms. They decided to fix this problem themselves without waiting for the government or the university to act.
In 1976 the Faculty of Law opened to full-time students for the first time in Somali history. Before this year most law students were older men who worked for the government and attended evening classes. But in 1976 everything changed. Forty-five young people enrolled as the pioneer cohort. Among them was Abdiwahid Osman Haji who received student identification card number five. He would later become known as Gesweyne meaning The Fire Extinguisher for his ability to calm panicking classmates and explain complex legal concepts in simple terms.
The formal founding of what would become SICLE occurred through a partnership between two brothers who combined vision with resources. Abdiwahid provided the vision while his brother Aweis Osman Ahmed provided the means. Upon graduation from Lafoole University of Education in 1978, Aweis found employment at the family business Warsheikh Rental Cars. He made the crucial decision to fund all expenses of the nascent initiative from his own income. He paid for transportation so students could visit courts. He paid for meeting spaces and dinners so students could discuss cases. Without his steadfast financial lifeline the dream would have died in its infancy.
Why SICLE Now
Somalia is a country rebuilding its justice system after many years of conflict. The rule of law is weak and corruption often affects the courts. Many lawyers who now practice in Somalia were trained in foreign countries such as Sudan, Kenya, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Canada, and the United States. Most of these countries teach common law. Somalia uses a mixed system with civil law, Islamic law, and customary law.
Somali citizens who studied abroad often return home to practice law. They speak Somali well and understand the culture but many lack training in the local legal system. There is no strong requirement or course for them to learn how Somali courts work before they begin practice. This has created confusion and decreased trust in legal processes.
The Imperative for Continuing Legal Education
- The Evolving Legal Landscape: Somalia’s legal framework continues to develop with new legislation, constitutional provisions, and regulatory requirements. Legal professionals must stay current with these changes to serve their clients effectively.
- The Professional Competency Gap: Many practicing lawyers completed their education decades ago or in foreign jurisdictions. SICLE bridges the gap between academic training and the practical demands of contemporary legal practice.
- International Standards and Best Practices: As Somalia integrates into the global community, legal professionals must understand international legal standards, cross-border transactions, and comparative legal frameworks.
- Ethical Standards and Public Trust: Building public confidence in the legal profession requires lawyers who demonstrate both competence and ethical conduct.
- Specialized Knowledge Development: Complex areas such as commercial law, human rights, environmental law, and technology law require specialized training.
- Institutional Capacity Building: Strengthening the judiciary, prosecution services, and legal aid organizations requires trained professionals.
- Economic Development and Investment: Foreign investors will not come to Somalia if they think their contracts cannot be enforced. By training lawyers in commercial law and arbitration, SICLE is telling the world that Somalia is open for business.
- Access to Justice: Justice that is inaccessible is no justice at all. SICLE empowers lawyers to be the vehicle through which the marginalized reach the courts.
Core Objectives
SICLE operates with a set of core objectives all aimed at bolstering the legal profession and fostering a more just and equitable society within Somalia.
Educational Excellence
Enhancing the quality and accessibility of legal education for both practicing lawyers and recent law graduates. Providing comprehensive and practical training programs to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world legal practice. Offering seminars, workshops, and courses covering essential legal skills such as legal writing, advocacy, negotiation, and client counseling.
Ethical Standards
Instilling and reinforcing ethical conduct and professional responsibility among legal practitioners. Teaching that lawyers should develop empathy and respect for every human being regardless of their economic or social standing. SICLE teaches that respect and kindness should extend to every human being underscoring the fundamental value of human dignity that should permeate the legal profession.
Legal Resource Hub
Serving as a vital legal resource hub for the legal community, policymakers, and the public. Collecting, analyzing, researching, and distributing information on legal administration at regional and federal levels. Advising and assisting the Somali Parliament and executive branches in drafting new laws and policies.
Access to Justice
Strengthening advocacy for access to justice particularly for marginalized communities. Supporting specialized legal clinics focused on children’s rights, civil justice, criminal defense, immigrant rights, and human rights. Promoting pro bono work by connecting lawyers with legal aid organizations that serve the poor and underserved.
Harmonizing Legal Systems
Promoting the harmonization of the three legal systems by teaching students how Statutory Law, Islamic Sharia, and Customary Xeer interact in daily practice to solve real problems. Facilitating a deep understanding of Somalia’s complex legal history by offering courses that trace the evolution from colonial codes to modern statutes.
Legacy and Future
Ensuring that the legacy of SICLE’s founders is honored by continuing their mission to build a competent and unified legal profession for the future. The forty-five pioneers of 1976 planted the seeds of what would become SICLE. When we teach young lawyers to master Somalia’s plural legal system, we are continuing the work that Student Number Five and his classmates began nearly half a century ago.