Ghana school of law admissions to be replaced with national bar exam- Attorney-General
29th July 2025
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has unveiled a major reform to Ghana’s legal education system, which will abolish the current admissions process at the Ghana School of Law and introduce a national bar examination.
The proposed changes, announced during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, July 28, 2025, are part of a new legal education bill set to be submitted to Cabinet in August.
The reforms aim to decentralise legal training and broaden access to the bar for all qualified LLB graduates.
Under the new model, students who earn an LLB from accredited universities will undergo a one-year Bar Practice Programme at their respective institutions. Afterward, they will sit for a standardised national bar exam to qualify for legal practice.
“The bill will abolish the Ghana School of Law system. Universities will be allowed to provide practical legal education internally, and successful students will write a national bar exam, just like what is done by the Institute of Chartered Accountants.”
This announcement comes in response to long-standing criticism of the existing centralised system, which has restricted access to the legal profession. Many law graduates from both public and private universities have been unable to gain admission to the Ghana School of Law, despite holding qualifying degrees.
Dr. Ayine emphasised that the reforms are intended to create a more inclusive system.
“We are shifting from exclusion to inclusion. Our aim is to ensure that all qualified LLB holders have a clear and merit-based path to becoming lawyers,” he said.
He also revealed that the final draft of the legal education bill was submitted to his deputy, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, for review on Sunday, July 27, in preparation for the formal announcement.