Govt announces transitional measures for LLB graduates under new legal education act
The Government of Ghana has announced a set of transitional arrangements for LLB graduates and backlog students ahead of the implementation of the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170), which introduces major reforms to legal education and professional training in the country.
The directives were issued by Professor Raymond Atuguba, Director of Legal Education and Director of the Ghana School of Law, on behalf of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine.
The new law, recently passed by Parliament and assented to by President John Dramani Mahama, decentralises professional legal education by allowing accredited law faculties across the country to offer the Law Practice Training (LPT) Programme.
However, with universities requiring time to obtain accreditation and a backlog of between 5,000 and 8,000 LLB graduates awaiting admission into professional legal training, the government has introduced interim measures to facilitate a smooth transition. Full implementation of the new framework is expected to commence in the 2027/2028 academic year.
Under the transitional arrangements, universities accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) may retain graduating LLB students for an additional academic year to undertake a one year Pre Bar Course.
The programme will cover Company Law, Commercial Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Family Law, and the Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes. Students who successfully complete the course will receive certification qualifying them for the Law Practice Training Programme and the National Bar Examinations.
Law faculties that are unable to offer the Pre Bar Course independently may collaborate with the Ghana School of Law or transfer students to the institution. Accredited faculties will also be permitted to admit backlog students and graduates from other universities into their Pre Bar programmes.
A major feature of the new legal education framework is the abolition of the entrance examination previously administered by the Independent Examinations Committee (IEC). As a result, backlog students will no longer be required to sit an entrance examination before gaining admission into professional legal training.
Instead, eligible candidates may apply directly to accredited law faculties or the Ghana School of Law, subject to available capacity and institutional admission requirements.
Following the Pre Bar Course, students will enrol in the practical Law Practice Training Programme at institutions accredited by the newly established Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET).
The LPT curriculum will include Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Law of Evidence, Conveyancing and Drafting, Advocacy and Legal Ethics, as well as Law Practice Management and Legal Accounting.
The interim measures are based on recommendations made during an emergency Conference of Law Deans held on May 13, 2026, and are intended to ensure continuity while the Council for Legal Education and Training is being fully constituted.