Law faculties directed to run one-year pre-bar course for 2026 graduates from September

Law faculties accredited by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission have been directed to make transitional arrangements for their 2026 graduating LLB students to undertake an additional one-year Pre-Bar Course from August/September this year, as Ghana moves into the new legal education framework under the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170).

The directive was contained in a letter dated 12 June 2026 and signed by Professor Raymond A. Atuguba, Director of Legal Education and Director of the Ghana School of Law. The letter said the directives were issued on the instruction of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, in consultation with the Chairman of the General Legal Council.

According to the letter, although Act 1170 has been passed, assented to and gazetted, the newly established Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET) is yet to be constituted. As a result, there will not be enough time for law faculties to be accredited to immediately begin the new Law Practice Training Programme in the 2026/2027 academic year.

Under the interim arrangement, final-year LLB students may remain in their universities for one additional academic year to study key theoretical subjects required before professional legal training. These include Company Law, Commercial Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Family Law, and Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes, together with any relevant electives.

Faculties unable or unwilling to run the Pre-Bar Course may partner with or offload their students to the Ghana School of Law, either fully or through hybrid arrangements. Accredited law faculties may also admit LLB graduates from other universities, including students currently within the backlog.

The letter further confirms that the old entrance examination system conducted by the Independent Examinations Committee has been abolished following the repeal of Regulations 1 to 22 of L.I. 2355 under section 90 of Act 1170. This means admission into the new professional legal training pathway can no longer be made dependent on the former entrance examination.

Backlog LLB graduates, estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000, may now apply either to an accredited university law faculty or to the Ghana School of Law to undertake the Pre-Bar Course, subject to institutional admission rules, capacity and regulatory requirements.

After successfully completing the Pre-Bar Course, students may proceed the following academic year to the Law Practice Training Programme at any institution accredited by CLET. The LPT subjects will include Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Law of Evidence, Conveyancing and Drafting, Advocacy and Legal Ethics, and Law Practice Management and Legal Accounting.

Law faculties have also been urged to begin institutional readiness measures, including curriculum gap analysis, recruitment or development of practice-oriented faculty, improvement of infrastructure, collaboration with other faculties and the Ghana School of Law, and preparation for accreditation when the portal opens in October 2026.

The transitional directives are intended to provide immediate clarity for current LLB students, address the backlog of graduates awaiting professional legal education, and ensure continuity as Ghana shifts to the new decentralised legal education regime.