Ghana’s legal education system is set for a major transformation following transitional directives issued under the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170), a move expected to expand access to professional legal training and ease long-standing entry bottlenecks.
The new directives, issued by the Director of Legal Education, Professor Raymond Atuguba, outline an interim framework to guide the shift toward a decentralized legal education model while the Council for Legal Education and Training is being established.
The reforms come at a time when thousands of law graduates have struggled to gain admission into professional legal training institutions due to limited capacity and strict entry requirements.
According to policy details contained in the directive, between 3,000 and 4,000 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) graduates sit for entrance examinations each year. However, only a small proportion are admitted into the Ghana School of Law, leaving a backlog estimated between 5,000 and 8,000 graduates unable to progress to professional qualification.
Professor Atuguba noted that although the Legal Education Act, 2026, has been passed by Parliament, assented to by the President, and published in the official gazette, full implementation could not begin immediately due to accreditation and institutional readiness challenges ahead of the 2026/2027 academic year.
He explained that the transitional directives were therefore necessary to ensure continuity while the new framework is properly put in place.
A key feature of the reform is the removal of the long-standing entrance examination requirement for admission into professional legal training.
The directive indicates that Section 90 of Act 1170 repeals Regulations 1 to 22 of the Legal Profession (Professional and Post Call Law Course) Regulations, 2018, effectively dissolving the Independent Examinations Committee and ending the entrance examination regime.
As a result, admission into professional legal training will no longer depend on passing any entrance examination previously administered by the committee.
Under the transitional arrangement, LLB graduates in 2026 will first undergo a one-year Pre-Bar Course before moving on to practical legal training.
The Pre-Bar Course will include subjects such as Company Law, Commercial Law, Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes.
Professor Atuguba further explained that accredited law faculties may, as an interim measure, be permitted to retain graduating students for an additional year to complete the Pre-Bar programme.
After completing this stage, students will advance to the Law Practice Training Programme at accredited institutions under the new legal education structure.
The practical training component will focus on Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Law of Evidence, Conveyancing and Drafting, Advocacy and Legal Ethics, as well as Law Practice Management and Legal Accounting
