The government has announced transitional arrangements to guide Bachelor of Laws (LLB) graduates and backlog students into the new legal education regime established under the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170).
The directives, issued by the Director of Legal Education and Director of the Ghana School of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba, on behalf of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, are intended to ensure a smooth transition following the passage of the new law.
The Legal Education Act, which has been passed by Parliament and assented to by President John Dramani Mahama, introduces major reforms, including the decentralisation of professional legal training to accredited law faculties. However, authorities say there is insufficient time for universities to secure accreditation and begin running the new Law Practice Training (LPT) Programme before the next academic year.
The government also cited a significant backlog of between 5,000 and 8,000 LLB graduates awaiting admission into professional legal education under the previous system, which required candidates to pass an entrance examination administered by the Independent Examinations Committee (IEC).
Under the new arrangements, universities accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) may retain their graduating LLB students for an additional academic year to undertake a Pre-Bar Course.
The programme will cover theoretical subjects including Company Law, Commercial Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Family Law, and Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes, among others.
Students who complete the course will receive certification from their institutions, qualifying them to undertake the LPT Programme, sit the National Bar Examinations and eventually be called to the Bar.
Prof. Raymond Atuguba said, “I am happy to note that the Policy Directives are substantially aligned with the recommendations made by the Conference of Law Deans at its emergency meeting on the impending reforms held on the 13th of May 2026.
“As you are well aware, the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170), has been passed by Parliament, assented to by the President, and gazetted. However, the new Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET), established under the Act, is yet to be constituted. This letter serves as a set of Interim Policy Directives covering some very urgent matters.”
Law faculties unable to run the Pre-Bar Course may partner with the Ghana School of Law or transfer students there for the transitional programme.
The directives also permit accredited law faculties to admit LLB graduates from other universities as well as backlog students into the Pre-Bar Course.
For students graduating this year, the new pathway to becoming a lawyer will involve completing the one-year Pre-Bar Course before enrolling in the LPT Programme at institutions accredited by the yet-to-be-established Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET).
The practical LPT Programme will include Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Law of Evidence, Conveyancing and Drafting, Advocacy and Legal Ethics, and Law Practice Management and Legal Accounting.
The directives also clarify that backlog students will no longer be required to sit an entrance examination, as the IEC and its admission regime have been abolished under the new law.
Instead, they may apply directly to accredited law faculties or the Ghana School of Law to undertake the Pre-Bar Course, with admissions determined by the institutions’ internal policies and available capacity.
Professor Atuguba said faculties should use the transition period to review curricula, strengthen practice-oriented teaching capacity, improve infrastructure and prepare for accreditation.
Applications for accreditation to run the LPT Programme are expected to open in October 2026, with authorities aiming for accredited faculties to fully implement the new framework by the 2027/2028 academic year.
The directives have been circulated to universities and other stakeholders for immediate implementation as the country transitions to the new legal education system.
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