Gov’t to replace Ghana School of Law admissions with National Bar Exam

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced a sweeping reform to Ghana’s legal education system that would abolish the current Ghana School of Law admissions structure and replace it with a national bar examination.

The proposed changes, outlined during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, July 28, 2025, are part of a new legal education bill expected to be submitted to Cabinet in August.

The reforms aim to decentralise professional legal training and expand access to the bar for all qualified LLB graduates.

Under the new model, students who obtain LLB degrees from accredited universities will undertake a one-year Bar Practice Programme at their respective institutions. Upon completion, they will sit for a standardised national bar exam to qualify for legal practice.

“The bill will abolish the Ghana School of Law system,” Dr. Ayine stated, adding “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.”

The announcement comes amid long-standing criticism of the existing centralised system, which has limited access to the legal profession. Thousands of law graduates from both public and private universities have found themselves unable to gain admission to the Ghana School of Law, despite having qualifying degrees.

Dr. Ayine said the proposed reforms are aimed at moving the system from one of exclusion to one of inclusion.

“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 had been submitted to his deputy, Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, for review on Sunday, July 27, ahead of the formal announcement.