President John Dramani Mahama has officially signed the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025 into law, paving the way for the implementation of sweeping reforms aimed at expanding access to professional legal education in Ghana.
Following the presidential assent, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, announced that government will make financial provisions for the implementation of the new law in the 2027 national budget statement expected to be presented by the Finance Minister in November this year.
Speaking to journalists after the signing ceremony at the Jubilee House on Monday, May 11, Dr Ayine disclosed that implementation processes would begin immediately with the establishment of the Council for Legal Education.
“As a result of the fact that Presidential assent has been given to the law, we are now ready for implementation. Immediate implementation will start with the establishment of the Council for Legal Education, which is the body that will oversee legal education in the country,” he said.
He further indicated that steps would also be taken to accredit institutions that intend to run the professional Law Practice Course as well as universities whose LLB graduates may wish to sit for law examinations under the new framework.
“We will also start the process of accreditation of the law schools that will be running the Law Practice Course, or those who have LLBs and decide to write the Law Exams, all of which will start this year,” Dr Ayine stated.
According to him, government remains committed to ensuring the smooth rollout of the reforms through adequate funding support.
“We will be making budgetary provision for the implementation in 2027 to be announced by the Finance Minister in November this year,” he added.
The newly enacted legislation effectively ends the 66-year monopoly held by the Ghana School of Law over professional legal education in the country.
For decades, access to professional legal training remained limited as the Ghana School of Law was the sole institution mandated to provide such programmes. The new Act now permits accredited universities and institutions that satisfy regulatory requirements to offer professional legal education courses.
The reform is widely being regarded as a significant breakthrough in addressing long-standing concerns over limited access to legal education and the increasing number of qualified LLB graduates unable to gain admission into professional law training.
Speaking after the signing ceremony in Accra, President Mahama said the reform would help maintain quality legal training while broadening opportunities for prospective lawyers.
“This would ensure the highest standard in terms of legal education, and also open up the space for more opportunities for legal education in Ghana,” the President said.
“This particular Act has been one that many aspiring lawyers have been looking for,” he added.
