Ghana needs more lawyers- Justice Baffoe-Bonnie

Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has called for the expansion of legal education and admissions in Ghana, arguing that the country is producing far fewer lawyers than required to meet national demand.

Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, November 10, 2025, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie dismissed claims that the legal profession is oversaturated, describing such assertions as misleading.

“I do not share the view that we are churning out too many lawyers. We are also not overproducing. If you combine all the lawyers, we are not up to 15,000…currently, despite the number of people being called to the bar this year and last year, the total is not even 7,000, and of that, fewer than 5,000 are in private practice," he said.

He noted that when measured against Ghana’s population, the ratio stands at roughly one lawyer to every 7,000 citizens, far below what is needed to ensure equitable access to justice across the country.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie explained that the perception of oversupply arises mainly from the concentration of lawyers in Accra, which gives a distorted picture of the national landscape. He advocated for the expansion of admissions and training to produce more lawyers who can serve in underserved regions.

The nominee also proposed the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the judiciary to improve efficiency in processes such as empanelling judges and managing cases. He said adopting technology would help reduce delays and enhance overall judicial effectiveness.