The government has introduced interim measures to facilitate the implementation of Ghana’s newly enacted legal education framework, creating a clearer pathway to professional legal training for thousands of aspiring lawyers while addressing a longstanding backlog of law graduates awaiting admission to the Bar.
The transitional directives, issued by the Director of Legal Education and Director of the Ghana School of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba, on behalf of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, are intended to ensure a smooth transition from the previous legal education structure to the new regime established under the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170).
The reforms follow the passage of landmark legislation that significantly restructures legal education in Ghana by decentralising professional legal training and granting accredited universities a direct role in preparing students for legal practice. The changes are widely regarded as the most significant overhaul of legal education in decades and are expected to broaden access to professional legal training while easing pressure on the Ghana School of Law.
Tackling the Backlog
A key motivation behind the transitional arrangements is the large number of law graduates who have been unable to gain admission into professional legal training under the previous system.
Government estimates indicate that between 5,000 and 8,000 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) graduates remain in a backlog after years of competing for limited spaces through the Independent Examinations Committee (IEC) admission process. With the enactment of the new law, the IEC entrance examination system has been abolished, creating a new pathway for both fresh graduates and backlog students.
Under the interim policy, accredited universities will be permitted to retain their graduating LLB students for an additional academic year to undertake a specially designed Pre-Bar Course. The programme will cover key theoretical subjects required for professional legal practice, including Company Law, Commercial Law, Family Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and the Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes.
Students who successfully complete the programme will receive certification from their respective institutions, enabling them to proceed to the Law Practice Training (LPT) Programme, sit the National Bar Examination and eventually qualify for call to the Bar.
Expanded Role for Universities
The directives also empower accredited law faculties to admit graduates from other institutions, as well as backlog students seeking to enrol in the transitional Pre-Bar programme.
Where universities are unable to offer the course, they may collaborate with the Ghana School of Law or transfer affected students to the institution. The arrangement is expected to reduce pressure on the professional legal training system while universities prepare to obtain accreditation under the new legal education framework.
For students graduating this year, the route to legal practice will involve completing the one-year Pre-Bar programme before proceeding to the practical Law Practice Training course at institutions accredited by the Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET), once the new body is formally constituted.
The practical training component will focus on areas such as Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Law of Evidence, Conveyancing and Drafting, Advocacy and Legal Ethics, as well as Law Practice Management and Legal Accounting.
Rationale for the Interim Directives
Explaining the need for the transitional measures, Professor Atuguba indicated that the reforms had already received substantial support from stakeholders in the legal education sector.
“I am happy to note that the Policy Directives are substantially aligned with the recommendations made by the Conference of Law Deans at its emergency meeting on the impending reforms held on the 13th of May 2026,” he stated.
“As you are well aware, the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170), has been passed by Parliament, assented to by the President, and gazetted. However, the new Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET), established under the Act, is yet to be constituted. This letter serves as a set of Interim Policy Directives covering some very urgent matters.”
Path to Full Implementation
The government has directed universities to use the transition period to strengthen infrastructure, expand practical legal training capacity and revise curricula to align with the new framework.
Applications for accreditation to run the Law Practice Training programme are expected to open in October 2026, with authorities targeting full implementation of the decentralised legal education system by the 2027/2028 academic year.
The reforms are expected to transform legal education in Ghana by expanding access, eliminating longstanding admission bottlenecks and creating a more inclusive system for training future legal practitioners. The transitional directives have already been circulated to universities and other stakeholders for immediate implementation as the country begins its transition to a new legal education architecture.
