The government has rolled out interim measures to facilitate the implementation of Ghana's newly enacted legal education framework, offering thousands of aspiring lawyers a clearer route to professional training 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 aimed at ensuring a seamless migration from the old legal education structure to the new regime established under the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170).

The reforms follow the enactment of legislation that fundamentally reshapes legal education in Ghana by decentralising professional legal training and allowing accredited universities to play a direct role in preparing students for legal practice.

The move marks one of the most significant changes to legal education in decades and is expected to widen access to professional legal training while reducing pressure on the Ghana School of Law.

Addressing backlog

A major factor informing the government's transitional arrangements is the large number of law graduates who have been unable to secure admission into professional legal training under the previous system.

Authorities estimate that between 5,000 and 8,000 LLB graduates remain in the backlog after years of competing for limited spaces through the Independent Examinations Committee (IEC) admission process.

With the passage of the new law, the entrance examination system administered by the IEC has been abolished, opening a new pathway for both fresh graduates and backlog students.

Under the interim arrangements, 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 Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes.

Successful participants will receive certification from their respective institutions, enabling them to progress to the Law Practice Training (LPT) Programme, sit the National Bar Examination and ultimately qualify for call to the Bar.

Universities to play central role

The directives also permit accredited law faculties to admit graduates from other institutions as well as backlog students who wish to enrol in the Pre-Bar programme.

Where universities are unable to offer the transitional course, they may collaborate with the Ghana School of Law or transfer affected students to the institution.

The arrangement is expected to ease pressure on the professional legal training system while universities prepare to seek accreditation under the new legal education framework.

For students graduating this year, the route to becoming a lawyer 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 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.

Interim directives

Explaining the rationale behind the policy measures, Professor Atuguba noted that the reforms had already received broad support from stakeholders within 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.

“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.”

Preparing for full implementation

The government has directed universities to use the transition period to strengthen infrastructure, enhance practical legal training capacity and review their curricula to align with the new framework.

Applications for accreditation to run the Law Practice Training programme are expected to commence in October this year, with authorities targeting full implementation of the decentralised legal education system by the 2027/2028 academic year.

The reforms are widely expected to transform legal education by expanding access, addressing longstanding admission bottlenecks and creating a more inclusive system for training the next generation of legal practitioners.

The transitional directives have already been circulated to universities and other stakeholders for immediate implementation as Ghana begins the shift towards the new legal education architecture.