Mahama signs Legal Education Reform Bill into law, ending Ghana School of Law’s 66-year monopoly

John Dramani Mahama has signed the Legal Education Reform Bill (2025) into law, officially ending the 66-year monopoly held by the Ghana School of Law over professional legal education in Ghana.

The landmark legislation is expected to significantly expand access to legal training by allowing accredited universities to offer professional law programmes previously reserved exclusively for the Ghana School of Law.

The reform marks one of the most significant changes to Ghana’s legal education system in decades and follows years of public debate, advocacy, and pressure from students, legal academics, and civil society groups who argued that the previous system unfairly restricted entry into the legal profession.

Speaking during the signing ceremony on Monday, President Mahama said the new law was carefully designed to balance quality legal education with broader access for aspiring lawyers.

“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 acknowledged that the legislation had been eagerly anticipated by many law graduates and aspiring legal practitioners across the country.

“This particular act has been one that many aspiring lawyers have been looking up to,” he added.

Since its establishment in 1958, the Ghana School of Law has remained the only institution authorized to provide the professional law course required for admission to the Ghana Bar.

Over the years, the institution faced criticism over limited admission capacity, with hundreds of qualified law graduates reportedly denied entry annually despite meeting academic requirements.

The situation sparked nationwide discussions about fairness, accessibility, and the future of legal education in Ghana, especially as the number of university law graduates continued to increase.

Under the newly signed law, universities that satisfy accreditation standards established by the appropriate regulatory authorities will now be permitted to run professional legal training programmes.

Legal education experts believe the reform could help address long-standing capacity challenges, reduce admission bottlenecks, and increase the number of trained lawyers in the country.

Supporters of the reform also argue that opening professional legal education to more institutions could improve regional access to legal training and create more opportunities for students outside Accra.

However, stakeholders are expected to closely monitor implementation to ensure that expanding access does not compromise professional standards, ethics, and the quality of legal training.

The passage of the Legal Education Reform Bill is being viewed as a major milestone in Ghana’s education and justice sectors, with potential long-term implications for legal practice and access to justice nationwide.