ACCRA, Ghana — For decades, the path to becoming a lawyer in Ghana has run through a single, increasingly narrow gate: the Ghana School of Law.
But a landmark legislative proposal, the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, aims to dismantle this monopoly and fundamentally reshape how the next generation of Ghanaian attorneys is trained.
Since the year 2000, the number of universities offering law degrees has exploded, but the capacity of the central Ghana School of Law has remained largely stagnant.
This bottleneck has left hundreds of qualified graduates in a state of professional limbo each year.
“The model of professional legal education… has, demonstrably, moved out of tune with the realities of modern Ghana,” the Bill’s memorandum states.
To fix this, the legislation proposes a radical decentralization: moving professional training out of the central school and into accredited universities across the country.
Under the new plan, the existing General Legal Council would see its educational mandate handed over to a newly created Council for Legal Education and Training.
This body will be responsible for accrediting universities to run a new “Law Practice Training Course”—a program focused on clinical, practical lawyering skills rather than just theory.
The stakes for institutions are high. Universities that attempt to offer these courses without strict accreditation face massive fines or even prison time for their leadership.
For students, the ultimate hurdle remains: after completing university-based training, they must pass a new National Bar Examination to practice.
Proposals in the Bill
The proposed law represents the most significant change to Ghana’s legal training since independence.
Here are the essential details:
Appeals Process
To ensure fairness, the Bill establishes a Legal Education Reform Appeals Tribunal for universities that are denied accreditation or have their licenses revoked.
The End of the Monopoly
The Ghana School of Law will no longer be the sole provider of professional legal training. Accredited universities will now be allowed to offer the professional “Law Practice Training Course”.
New Oversight
A new Council for Legal Education and Training will be established to regulate standards, grant licenses to universities, and supervise the quality of education.
A Shift to Practice
The new curriculum will emphasize “clinical legal education,” focusing on practical lawyering skills over theoretical classroom learning.
Strict Accreditation
Universities must meet rigorous standards—including library resources and faculty qualifications—to receive a license.
Providing unauthorized training can lead to prison sentences of up to 20 years for those in charge.
The Final Gate
Students will still need to pass a National Bar Examination after their university training to be admitted to the Bar.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
