Ayine: Legal Education Bill Seeks to End Ghana School of Law Monopoly

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced a transformative Legal Education Bill aimed at decentralizing professional legal training in Ghana. The proposed legislation seeks to end the Ghana School of Law’s longstanding monopoly by allowing accredited universities to offer professional legal education.

Under the new framework, students would complete their LLB programs and subsequently undergo professional training within their respective universities. Upon completion, candidates would sit for a standardized National Bar Examination administered by the General Legal Council (GLC). This approach replaces the current entrance examination system and is designed to broaden access to legal education across the country  .

Dr. Ayine emphasized that the bill includes stringent accreditation and quality assurance measures to maintain high standards in legal education. “We are introducing an accreditation program to ensure that only qualified institutions provide legal training, thereby safeguarding the profession’s integrity,” he stated.

The initiative addresses longstanding concerns about limited access to legal education. In 2025, over 4,000 LLB graduates sat for the entrance examination to the Ghana School of Law, with only about half gaining admission due to capacity constraints  .

The Legal Education Bill is currently under parliamentary consideration, with implementation anticipated to commence in August 2026. This reform is expected to enhance the legal profession’s reach and inclusivity, aligning with Ghana’s broader educational and justice objectives.

For more details, you can watch Dr. Ayine’s explanation of the Legal Education Bill here: