Prof Isaac Boadi, the Dean of the Faculty of Accounting and Finance at the University of Professional Studies (UPSA), has welcomed the passage of the Legal Education Reform Bill.
The USPA dean highlighted that the Ghana School of Law monopoly was a bit too harsh.
According to Prof Isaac Boadi, the previous structure created significant limitations, pointing to the gap between the number of law graduates and those who progress to professional training.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on March 27, Prof. Boadi explained, “It’s been in existence for a long time; that’s been the structure we’ve had over the years, where the Ghana Law School has been the only institution passing out these lawyers”.
“The monopoly was a bit too harsh, but the point is that it is a good call. Whenever a law is passed, it means some bottlenecks have been identified, and there is a need for a review,” he stated.
The UPSA Dean explained, “We’ve had brilliant students who have been rejected, and if you look at the population-to-lawyer ratio, it is not the best. You graduate about 5,000 LLB students, hypothetically, and maybe only 1,000 qualify to law school to become lawyers. That is a huge bottleneck”.
“When we have expansion, it allows more people to be trained as lawyers and could reduce the ratio, but we need to check this. An expansion of universities offering LLB programmes is not equivalent to expansion of professional training capacity,” he stressed.
“The fact that we have a lot of lawyers does not mean that sometimes they are efficient enough or have been trained enough,” he said.
“If we open more schools, a more roll out, how many of them get jobs? So in terms of capacity, efficiency is not the same.”
“As much as we are opening the door to allow universities to train, we must ensure those who come out are efficient and able to deal with the issues in our country,” he said.
Also, Kwaku Ansa‑Asare, a former Director of the Ghana School of Law, has said it would be a grave and regrettable mistake to abolish the Ghana School of Law.
The former Director of the Ghana School of Law dismissed calls to abolish the institution following the passage of the Legal Education Bill.
According to Ansa‑Asare, the Ghana School of Law has been of historical significance and a long source of national pride while being a cornerstone of Ghana’s legal system.
He highlighted that the Ghana School of Law has not only moulded generations of Ghanaian lawyers but also contributed to the development of the legal profession.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, March 26, Mr Ansa‑Asare stated, “For many years, the Ghana School of Law has been our pride. It was the first law school established in Sub-Saharan Africa specifically to train professional lawyers, and it should remain Ghana’s pride.
“I think the law school should never, ever be abolished because it is Ghana’s pride—the first law school in Sub-Saharan Africa. It would be a very sad and regrettable mistake for anyone to suggest otherwise,” he said.
He added, “The law school is a professional training point. So I think that what is going to happen is that the law school will continue to train professional lawyers. That responsibility has not been taken away. It is the monopoly that has been removed,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Parliament of Ghana officially passed the Legal Education Reform Bill, marking a major shift in the country’s legal training system.
The law removes the Ghana School of Law’s long-standing monopoly and allows other accredited institutions to offer professional legal education.
The reform is expected to ease admission pressure, expand opportunities for law graduates, and improve training quality, while ensuring strict regulation and consistent standards are maintained across all institutions through strengthened oversight nationwide.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, detailed that with the passage of the bill, the NDC has fulfilled its commitment to promoting equity, fairness, and improved access to legal education in Ghana.
He stated, “As has been typical of the NDC, promises made are delivered. We promised law students that if they vote for us, we will carry out reforms that will ensure equity, fairness and access to legal education”.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, however, took a swipe at the NDC government.
Afenyo-Markin accuse the NDC government of failing to deliver on some of its key campaign promises.
The minority leader highlighted that the reform of legal education is important, but the government must also demonstrate commitment to other critical pledges made to Ghanaians.