The Law Students’ Network (LSN) has urged the government to prioritise quality over expediency in its proposed overhaul of Ghana’s legal education system, calling for broader stakeholder consultations and clarity on key issues such as timelines, funding, and oversight.

LSN in a statement expressed concerns about the government’s Legal Education Bill, which seeks to decentralise professional legal training by abolishing the centralized admissions system of the Ghana School of Law (GSL).

“Government is urged not to choose expediency over quality in its haste to fulfil a manifesto promise. There is a need to tread cautiously to avoid a paradigm shift that could jeopardise the standards that make Ghana’s legal profession crucial to justice delivery,” the group said.

The bill, announced by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, on July 28, 2025, would allow accredited universities offering LLB programs to provide a one-year Bar Practice Programme, followed by a national bar examination for qualification.

LSN acknowledged the need for expanded access to legal education, aligning with the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) 2024 manifesto promise to accredit certified law faculties to run professional law courses under the General Legal Council’s (GLC) supervision.

However, the group cautioned that “sweeping decentralisation” without adequate resources or oversight risks inconsistent standards due to competition among faculties, potentially undermining the quality of legal education and the profession itself.

The LSN highlighted concerns about the GSL and GLC’s current capacity to supervise multiple institutions, noting that extending training to all faculties could be impractical without significant budgetary allocations and administrative restructuring.

The group also warned that lowering the competitive entrance exam’s standards to accommodate more candidates could erode the profession’s prestige and effectiveness.

“Further, the competitive entrance exam, often criticised for its high standards, serves as a necessary gatekeeper as maintaining exclusivity ensures quality. The proposed bill, which has the potential to lower these high standards to accommodate more candidates, could erode the professionalism and prestige that define the field, undermining the proven effectiveness of producing competent lawyers through a rigorous and controlled training process,” the group warned.

“The government must provide clarity on what it sees as the most pressing challenge with the current system and why wholesale expansion is the only solution,” the statement added.

To address these issues, the LSN recommended enhanced stakeholder consultations to ensure all relevant voices are heard before the bill’s passage.

It urged the government to reconsider its plan to fast-track the bill under a certificate of urgency, emphasising the need for rigorous scrutiny given the ruling party’s parliamentary majority.

The LSN also called for clear plans on funding, monitoring, and staffing to safeguard quality. The organisation focused on policy development, research, and community development for law students, stressed that while expanding access is commendable, “care must be taken not to sacrifice quality on the altar of political expediency.”

Read the full statement by LSN below:



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