Law Students Welcome Legal Education Reform As Ghana Ends Ghana School Of Law Monopoly

WRITTEN BY JOSHUA NARH

Students at the Ghana School of Law have welcomed the newly passed Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, describing it as a major step toward expanding access to professional legal training in Ghana.

The law, assented to by President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, 11th May 2026, ends the Ghana School of Law’s decades-long monopoly over professional legal education by allowing accredited universities and institutions to offer the Professional Law Course.

The reform is expected to widen access for thousands of LLB graduates who have struggled over the years to gain admission into the Ghana School of Law because of limited spaces and highly competitive entrance examinations.

Students who spoke to 3Music TV said they support the reform and believe it could reshape the future of legal education in Ghana by making professional training more accessible to aspiring lawyers across the country.

According to them, the previous system left many qualified graduates without opportunities to continue their legal education despite successfully completing their undergraduate law degrees.

Some students also argued that the limited intake at the Ghana School of Law contributed to the underrepresentation of legal practitioners in parts of northern Ghana and other underserved regions.

While many of the students currently pursuing the Professional Law Course said they gained admission on their first attempt, they acknowledged that several qualified LLB graduates have struggled for years to secure entry into professional legal training.

The Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, effectively dismantles a 66-year monopoly held by the Ghana School of Law since its establishment in 1958.

For decades, the institution remained the sole body authorised to run the professional law course required for admission to the Ghana Bar.

Critics of the old system have long argued that the arrangement created unnecessary barriers to the legal profession and denied many qualified graduates the opportunity to become lawyers.

Speaking after the signing ceremony on Monday, President Mahama said the legislation seeks to balance quality legal education with expanded access.

“Regulate legal education and ensure the highest standards in terms of legal education, but also to open up a 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 up to. So it’ll be fine.”

Under the new law, universities and institutions that meet accreditation requirements set by the relevant regulatory bodies will now be eligible to offer professional legal training programmes.

Some concerns have been raised publicly about whether widening access could affect the quality of legal education in the country.

However, the students who spoke to 3Music TV expressed confidence that proper regulation, supervision, and accreditation systems would be put in place to maintain standards within the legal profession while increasing opportunities for aspiring lawyers.

The reform marks one of the most significant changes to Ghana’s legal education system in decades.