A Senior Law Lecturer at Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Clement Kojo Akapame, has welcomed Ghana’s new legal education reforms but believes the changes should go further to improve the country’s legal training system.
Speaking on air on Wednesday, May 13, Mr. Akapame said the passage of the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2025, marks a major step forward after more than 60 years without significant reforms in legal education.
He explained that the new law is a positive development because it creates better opportunities for law graduates who want to pursue professional legal training.
“It’s great that we’ve taken this leap to reform legal education,” he said, adding that the new framework improves access for law graduates seeking professional training.
Although he praised the reforms, Mr. Akapame said the law does not fully address the wider needs of legal education in Ghana.
He argued that policymakers should have included areas such as the training of paralegals, legal support staff, pupilage, and post-professional legal training.
From his experience as a legal educator, he expected broader reforms that would strengthen legal training beyond the education of lawyers alone.
Mr. Akapame also stressed that the success of the reforms will depend heavily on how authorities implement them. He warned that challenges could emerge during the rollout of the new system.
He called for a gradual implementation process and urged stakeholders to provide clear explanations on important parts of the law, especially the definition of what qualifies as a law programme.
According to him, the legislation seems to separate the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from professional legal practice training, but some parts of the law remain unclear.
He further raised concerns about possible overlaps between institutions responsible for legal education and professional regulation.
He noted that both the legal education framework and the General Legal Council have responsibilities that may require stronger coordination.
Mr. Akapame explained that the difference between legal education and professional legal regulation is very narrow, and poor collaboration between the institutions could create difficulties during implementation.
He said he expects policymakers to provide more clarification in the coming days to help students and institutions better understand the new reforms.
Despite his concerns, Mr. Akapame maintained that the reforms are an important and welcome step for Ghana’s legal education sector.
He added that effective coordination and proper implementation will determine whether the changes achieve their intended goals.
