A former Supreme Court Justice, Justice William Anaam Atuguba (Rtd), and current Chairman of the University of Cape Coast Governing Council, has described Ghana’s legal education system as ‘broken’ and in need of reform.

During an interview on The Law Lab, on April 1, 2026, Justice Atuguba said the Legal Profession Act of 1968 laid the foundation for a system that is now outdated.

He noted that the LLB degree has traditionally been treated as purely academic, despite students’ aspirations to practice law after graduation.

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“The new Legal Education Bill 2025 addresses this by ensuring that legal education from LLB through to professional stages, is geared toward practical application. Law is a tool for social advancement, and students must be equipped to apply it in real-world settings,” he stated.

Justice Atuguba also discussed how legal training in the past involved small cohorts and rigorous filtering at both the LLB and Ghana School of Law levels, ensuring quality lawyers.

He acknowledged that increasing population and the growth of legal institutions necessitate producing more lawyers but stressed that quality should never be sacrificed.

Justice Atuguba stressed that the new bill represents a positive step toward modernising Ghana’s legal education, aligning it with societal needs, and enhancing the quality of legal practitioners in the country.

MRA/VPO

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