The Government of Ghana has announced transitional arrangements for LLB graduates and backlog students ahead of the implementation of the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170).

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 Act, passed by Parliament and assented to by President John Dramani Mahama, decentralises professional legal training by permitting accredited law faculties to offer the Law Practice Training (LPT) Programme.

However, because universities lack sufficient time to secure accreditation before the upcoming academic year, and given a backlog of 5,000 to 8,000 LLB graduates, interim measures have been established.

Full implementation of the new framework is targeted for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Key Transitional Arrangements and Directives

- The Pre-Bar Course Pathway: Universities accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) can retain graduating LLB students for an additional academic year to complete a one-year Pre-Bar Course.

- Pre-Bar Curriculum: The course will cover Company Law, Commercial Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), Family Law, and the Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes. Completion grants certification making students eligible for the subsequent LPT Programme and the National Bar Examinations.

- Institutional Collaboration: Law faculties unable to run the Pre-Bar Course can partner with the Ghana School of Law or transfer their students there. Accredited faculties are also permitted to admit backlog students and graduates from other universities into their Pre-Bar programmes.

- Abolition of Entrance Exams: Backlog students are no longer required to take an entrance examination, as the new law abolishes the Independent Examinations Committee (IEC) and its admission system. Candidates can apply directly to accredited law faculties or the Ghana School of Law, subject to capacity and institutional requirements.

- The Law Practice Training (LPT) Programme: After the Pre-Bar Course, students will enroll in the practical LPT Programme at institutions accredited by the newly established Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET). The LPT curriculum includes Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Law of Evidence, Conveyancing and Drafting, Advocacy and Legal Ethics, and Law Practice Management and Legal Accounting.

- Administrative Context: These interim directives align with recommendations from an emergency Conference of Law Deans meeting on May 13, 2026. They are necessary because the new CLET has not yet been fully constituted.

- Accreditation Timeline: Law faculties are advised to use this transition period to upgrade infrastructure and review curricula. Applications for accreditation to run the LPT Programme will open in October 2026.