President John Dramani Mahama has signed the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, into law, marking a major turning point in Ghana’s legal education system and ending the Ghana School of Law’s 66-year monopoly over professional legal training.
The new legislation is expected to widen access to professional legal education while maintaining high standards for training future lawyers.
Speaking during the signing ceremony on Monday, President Mahama said the reform was carefully designed to strike a balance between quality and accessibility.
“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 stated.
He added that the passage of the bill represents the fulfilment of a long-standing demand by many young Ghanaians aspiring to enter the legal profession.
“This particular act has been one that many aspiring lawyers have been looking up to,” he said.
Since its establishment in 1958, the Ghana School of Law has remained the only institution authorised to run the professional law course required for admission to the Ghana Bar. Over the years, concerns have grown about limited admission capacity, with many qualified LLB graduates unable to secure a place in professional legal training.
The newly signed law is expected to pave the way for other accredited institutions to offer professional legal education under a regulated framework, potentially easing pressure on the Ghana School of Law and expanding opportunities for students across the country.
