Legal Education Reform Act: Funds will be allocated in the 2027 budget statement - Attorney-General

The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, has announced that the implementation of Ghana’s newly passed Legal Education Reform Act will officially be captured in the 2027 national budget statement, which is expected to be presented by the Finance Minister in November this year.

According to Dr Ayine, the government is ready to begin the immediate implementation of the law following presidential assent granted on Monday, May 11. The first major step under the reform agenda will be the establishment of a new Council for Legal Education, which will supervise and regulate legal education across the country.

Speaking to journalists after the signing ceremony, Dr Ayine explained that the Council would serve as the key regulatory body responsible for ensuring standards in legal training and overseeing the accreditation of institutions that intend to offer professional legal education programmes.

“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 stated.

He further disclosed that the accreditation process for universities and law schools interested in running the Law Practice Course would begin this year. The new framework will also provide opportunities for students holding Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degrees to sit for professional law examinations under the reformed system.

The Legal Education Reform Act marks a historic turning point in Ghana’s legal education sector, effectively ending the 66-year monopoly previously held by the Ghana School of Law over professional legal training in the country.

For decades, the Ghana School of Law remained the sole institution mandated to provide professional legal education for aspiring lawyers, a situation that generated widespread criticism due to limited admissions, infrastructure constraints, and growing concerns about accessibility for qualified LLB graduates.

The newly signed legislation is therefore being celebrated by many stakeholders within the legal and academic communities as a major breakthrough aimed at expanding access to legal education and addressing long-standing challenges within the sector.

Under the new law, accredited universities and institutions that meet the required academic and regulatory standards will now be permitted to offer professional legal education programmes. This is expected to significantly increase opportunities for aspiring lawyers while promoting competition, innovation, and improved capacity within legal training institutions nationwide.

Speaking after the signing ceremony at Jubilee House in Accra, the President described the reform as a transformative step for Ghana’s legal education system.

“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.

He added that the reform responds directly to the concerns and expectations of many young Ghanaians who have struggled for years to gain admission into professional legal training programmes despite successfully completing their LLB studies.

“This particular Act has been one that many aspiring lawyers have been looking for,” the President noted.

The implementation of the Legal Education Reform Act is expected to reshape the future of legal training in Ghana by decentralising professional legal education and creating a more inclusive system capable of accommodating the increasing number of law graduates across the country.