Ghana’s legal education landscape is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in decades following the passage of the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025 by Parliament. The reform is expected to expand access to professional legal education and create new opportunities for thousands of aspiring lawyers across the country.
For many years, access to professional legal training in Ghana has been largely controlled by the Ghana School of Law, with admission often dependent on a highly competitive entrance examination. While the system was designed to maintain standards, it also became a major bottleneck, preventing many qualified law graduates from progressing to the professional stage of legal training.
The newly passed legislation seeks to address these challenges by establishing the Council for Legal Education and Training, a body that will regulate professional legal education, set standards, and oversee the training of future lawyers.
Introduction of the National Bar Examination
One of the most significant changes introduced by the reform is the creation of a National Bar Examination.
Under the new system, graduates with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree will enroll in a Law Practice Training Course offered by accredited universities. Upon completion of the programme, candidates will sit for a standardized National Bar Examination, which will determine their eligibility to practice law in Ghana.
The reform shifts the focus of legal training from purely theoretical instruction to practical legal skills, including clinical legal education, advocacy, legal drafting, and professional ethics.
According to proponents of the Bill, the National Bar Examination will ensure that all aspiring lawyers are assessed using the same standards regardless of the institution they attend.
End of the Ghana School of Law Monopoly
Perhaps the most historic aspect of the reform is the opening up of professional legal education to multiple accredited institutions.
Previously, the Ghana School of Law served as the primary pathway for professional legal training. Under the new framework, accredited universities will be permitted to offer both LLB and Pre-Bar programmes, significantly increasing access to legal education.
This move is expected to reduce the pressure on the Ghana School of Law while providing students with more options for pursuing their legal careers.
19 Universities Accredited
Following the reform, the General Legal Council (GLC), Ghana School of Law, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) have accredited 19 institutions to offer both LLB and Pre-Bar programmes.
The accredited institutions are:
- Accra Metropolitan University School of Law
- Ashesi University
- Central University Faculty of Law
- Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
- Greenfield College Faculty of Law
- KAAF University College Faculty of Law
- Kings University College Faculty of Law, Governance and International Relations
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
- Lancaster University Ghana Faculty of Law
- Mountcrest University Faculty of Law
- Pentecost University Faculty of Law
- Presbyterian University Faculty of Law
- University of Business and Integrated Development Studies
- University of Cape Coast Faculty of Law
- University for Development Studies
- University of Ghana School of Law
- University of Professional Studies, Accra School of Law
- Wisconsin International University College Ghana Faculty of Law
- Zenith University College Ghana Faculty of Law
A New Era for Legal Education
Supporters of the reform argue that the new system promotes fairness, equality of opportunity, and wider access to legal education. Students from different universities will now have the opportunity to pursue professional legal training and ultimately compete on a level playing field through the National Bar Examination.
The reform is also expected to increase the number of qualified lawyers in Ghana, improve geographical access to legal training, and encourage innovation in legal education while maintaining professional standards through accreditation and standardized assessment.
While implementation details will continue to evolve, the passage of the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025 marks a landmark moment in Ghana’s legal history. For thousands of aspiring lawyers who previously faced significant barriers to entry, the reform represents a new pathway to achieving their professional ambitions and contributing to the country’s justice system.
As Ghana prepares to transition into this new era, many stakeholders will be watching closely to see how the expanded system balances greater access with the maintenance of high professional standards expected of the legal profession.
