A feature by Justice Sedinam Awo Kwadam
Accra, May 24, GNA – Ghana’s legal education system is entering a new phase with the passage of the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170), a landmark reform expected to reshape professional legal training, widen access, and modernise the governance of legal education.
For decades, legal education in Ghana operated under the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), a framework designed for a much smaller number of law graduates and a highly centralised professional training system anchored in the Ghana School of Law.
Over the years, however, the landscape changed significantly.
Public and private universities expanded their law programmes, student enrolment surged, and the demand for professional legal training outpaced the capacity of the existing system.
This increasing pressure exposed structural challenges relating to access, infrastructure, transparency, curriculum modernisation, and institutional accountability.
The Legal Education Act, 2026 seeks to respond to these longstanding concerns through a comprehensive restructuring of legal education governance.
Rather than introducing minor amendments, the law establishes a new institutional framework intended to balance broader access with quality assurance, professional competence, and national development.
At the centre of the reforms is the creation of the Council for Legal Education and Training.
The Council assumes responsibility for regulating legal education and training, separating those functions from the broader responsibilities traditionally exercised by the General Legal Council.
The reform recognises that legal education requires specialised attention in areas such as accreditation, curriculum development, institutional monitoring, assessment standards, and professional preparedness.
The composition of the Council’s Board reflects efforts to ensure broader representation within the legal profession.
It includes members from the Judiciary, the Bar, legal academia, and administrative leadership.
The inclusion of representatives from both the superior courts and lower bench acknowledges the practical realities of Ghana’s justice delivery system and the importance of experience from the district and magistrate courts.
The Board is to be chaired by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court or a person qualified to serve on the apex court, a move intended to strengthen professional credibility and institutional stability.
One of the most significant reforms introduced by the Act is the expansion of Law Practice Training to accredited institutions.
For decades, professional legal training remained concentrated within a single institutional structure.
Under the new framework, universities and institutions that satisfy accreditation requirements may now offer professional legal training programmes.
The law establishes detailed accreditation standards to ensure that institutions possess adequate infrastructure, qualified lecturers, library facilities, technological capacity, and academic resources before receiving approval.
The reforms are expected to expand opportunities for aspiring lawyers while maintaining regulatory oversight and professional standards.
The success of the accreditation system, however, will depend heavily on effective implementation, regular inspections, and strict monitoring mechanisms.
The Act also introduces stronger protections for academic freedom.
Institutions offering law programmes are required to formulate policies that safeguard the right of lecturers and researchers to express legal opinions and engage in scholarship without fear of reprisal.
The legislation further promotes research, intellectual debate, freedom of association, and academic engagement.
These provisions recognise the important role law schools play in shaping democratic governance, constitutional discourse, and public policy development.
Inclusion and equal opportunity also feature prominently within the reforms.
The Act prohibits discrimination and requires institutions to adopt policies that promote equal access to legal education.
Importantly, it places affirmative obligations on institutions to provide accessible infrastructure and support systems for students with disabilities.
The legislation reflects growing recognition that access to legal education should not be limited by physical or structural barriers.
A more inclusive legal profession, the reforms suggest, can strengthen public confidence in the administration of justice.
Another major component of the reforms is the restructuring of the National Bar Examination.
The Act establishes a National Bar Examination Committee comprising representatives from the Bar, Judiciary, legal academia, and the Ghana School of Law.
The Committee is responsible for conducting assessments, moderating results, maintaining examination integrity, and overseeing professional assessment standards.
Unlike previous systems that were often criticised for overemphasising memorisation, the new framework places greater focus on practical competence.
The examination is expected to assess advocacy skills, ethics, legal drafting, procedural competence, legal reasoning, and problem-solving abilities.
The reforms also signal a shift from a centralised admission bottleneck towards a broader accreditation-based training model.
Admission into Law Practice Training will largely be handled by accredited institutions under the supervision of the Council.
While the Act does not impose a mandatory national entrance examination for LL.B programmes, it emphasises institutional responsibility in admissions and a unified National Bar Examination as the final professional qualifying standard.
This creates a hybrid system that combines decentralised training with centralised professional assessment.
The Ghana School of Law also undergoes a significant repositioning under the Act.
It is now established as a specialised directorate under the Council for Legal Education and Training.
Beyond its continuing responsibility for the Post-Call Law Course, the institution is expected to provide remedial programmes, re-sit support, specialised legal training, executive programmes, and continuing legal education.
To strengthen accountability and procedural fairness, the Act establishes a Legal Education Appeals Tribunal to review regulatory decisions.
Appeals on points of law may also proceed to the High Court, reinforcing judicial oversight within the legal education system.
The legislation includes transitional provisions to ensure continuity during implementation.
Existing institutions are required to apply for accreditation within specified timelines, while current licences and arrangements remain valid unless amended or revoked.
This is expected to minimise disruptions across universities, regulatory bodies, courts, and students during the transition period.
Observers say the passage of the Legal Education Act marks the beginning rather than the end of reform.
Its long-term success will depend on continuous evaluation of accreditation systems, examination standards, inclusion policies, technological readiness, and institutional accountability.
The reforms also place pressure on legal education institutions to adapt to emerging realities such as artificial intelligence, cyber law, digital commerce, and international dispute resolution.
Ultimately, the Legal Education Act, 2026 represents one of the most ambitious attempts in recent decades to modernise legal education in Ghana.
It expands access, strengthens governance, promotes academic freedom, enhances inclusion, and redefines professional legal training.
For many within the legal and academic communities, the reforms signal the beginning of a more accessible, rigorous, and future-ready legal education system for Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Beatrice Asamani Savage
Justice Sedinam Awo Kwadam (Mrs) is a Justice of the High Court of Ghana