President John Dramani Mahama has enacted the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, thereby initiating a significant transformation in Ghana’s legal education framework and concluding the Ghana School of Law’s 66-year dominance over professional legal training in the nation.
This pivotal legislation is anticipated to enhance access to professional legal education by permitting accredited universities and institutions to provide professional law courses, a role that had been exclusively held by the Ghana School of Law for many years.
For an extended period, there have been concerns regarding the restrictive nature of professional legal education in Ghana, especially the challenges related to admissions into the Ghana School of Law.
Numerous qualified LLB graduates throughout the country frequently found themselves unable to pursue their legal training due to limited availability and the highly competitive entrance examination process.
In remarks made following the assent on Monday, May 11, the president remarked that the “law is intended to regulate legal education and uphold the highest standards in legal education, while also broadening opportunities for legal education in Ghana. This particular act has been one that many aspiring lawyers have been eagerly anticipating.”
Previously, the Ghana School of Law was the only institution authorized to deliver the Professional Law Course necessary for students to qualify as lawyers and gain admission to the Bar in Ghana.
The institution’s monopoly has persisted for over sixty years and has consistently been a topic of national discussion, with students, civil society organizations, and legal professionals advocating for reforms to enhance the accessibility of legal education.
Thus, the enactment and signing of the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, is regarded as a significant advancement in addressing these enduring issues.
With the new legislation now enacted, accredited universities that fulfill the necessary criteria and obtain approval from the appropriate regulatory authorities will be allowed to offer professional legal education programs.
