We inherited legal system which is not relevance to our circumstances — Ansa-Asare

A leading legal scholar, Kwaku Ansa Asare, has warned that Ghana’s inherited legal education system is no longer fit for purpose and risks weakening the country’s justice delivery if urgent reforms are not undertaken.

He argued that the system, largely rooted in the English legal tradition, has failed to evolve in line with Ghana’s socio-economic realities, leaving the legal profession at a critical turning point.

“We inherited a model we did not understand and which had no socio-economic relevance to our circumstances,” he said, cautioning that continuing along the same path would deepen existing challenges.

Mr Ansa Asare, a former Director of Legal Education and founder of MountCrest University College, made the remarks at a public lecture in Accra organised by the institution under the theme “Ghana’s Inherited Legal Profession: Legal Education at the Crossroads.”

He stressed that meaningful reform would remain elusive unless structural barriers, particularly access to professional legal training, are addressed. According to him, the current system creates bottlenecks that prevent many qualified law graduates from progressing from academic study to professional qualification.

“We have not honestly confronted the issues that call for reform. The problem has always been one of a system in search of solutions,” he stated.

He also raised concerns about the politicisation of the legal profession, noting that competing political interests have slowed reform efforts and contributed to inconsistencies in policy direction.

On structural challenges, he criticised the disconnect between university legal education and training at the Ghana School of Law, explaining that the divide between theory and practice has led to inefficiencies and frustration among graduates.

“At the academic stage, you are taught where to find the law, but at the professional stage, you are taught how to apply it. The two are fundamentally different,” he said.

He advocated for the expansion of clinical legal education, emphasising the need for students to gain practical experience through supervised case work, similar to the training model used in medical education.

“Students must be given the opportunity to learn by doing,” he added.

Mr Ansa Asare further called for the development of a legal education framework tailored to Ghana’s needs, warning that attempts to merge British and American models have created confusion.

“Either we craft our own model or we continue to operate a system that does not serve our national interest,” he said.

Sharing international perspective, Carl Stychin, Director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London, outlined the United Kingdom’s experience, where an increase in law graduates has not been matched by opportunities for professional training.

He noted that while law programmes have expanded significantly, only a limited number of graduates secure placements such as pupillage or training contracts, highlighting the risks of imbalance within legal education systems.

“Our LLB degree was growing exponentially… but only a small number would ever join the profession,” he said, describing the trend as both a lesson and a caution.

On the reform front, the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Abdul Rashid Pelpuo, expressed optimism that ongoing changes would address long-standing issues, particularly the transition from academic study to professional qualification.

He indicated that reforms are aimed at reducing the number of students who repeatedly fail professional examinations.

“We will ensure that students do not go through this process of writing exams and failing repeatedly,” he said.

The lecture formed part of MountCrest’s thought leadership series, bringing together legal practitioners, academics and students to examine the future of legal education in Ghana.

Meanwhile, the recently passed Legal Education Reform Act 2025 introduces sweeping changes to the system, including the end of the Ghana School of Law’s monopoly over professional training. The new framework provides for a one-year Bar Practice Programme at accredited universities, followed by a centralised National Bar Examination, alongside other measures aimed at expanding access and improving standards.