About
History and establishment
From the Legal Profession Act of 1960 to the Legal Education Act of 2026: how the regulation of legal education in Ghana came to be vested in the Council.
Established by an Act of Parliament
The Council for Legal Education and Training was established by the Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170), an Act of the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana. The Bill was authenticated by the Clerk to Parliament on 26 March 2026 and assented to by the President on 11 May 2026.
The Act establishes the Council as a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal, capable of acquiring and holding property, disposing of property, and entering into contracts for the performance of its functions.
The Council supersedes the legal education regulatory functions previously exercised under the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32) and the Legal Profession (Professional and Post-Call Law Course) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2355), which are partly revoked by Act 1170.
The regulation of legal education in Ghana
1960
Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32)
The foundational legislation governing the legal profession in Ghana. It established the General Legal Council and regulated the professional law course. The Ghana School of Law was established under this framework.
2018
Legal Profession (Professional and Post-Call Law Course) Regulations
L.I. 2355 set out detailed regulations on the Professional Law Course and the Post-Call Law Course, including admission requirements, curriculum, and examination standards. Regulations 1 to 22 governed legal education until the enactment of Act 1170.
2026
Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170)
Passed by Parliament and authenticated by the Clerk to Parliament on 26 March 2026, then assented to by the President on 11 May 2026. The Act establishes the Council for Legal Education and Training as a dedicated statutory body with a comprehensive mandate to regulate legal education, separate from the General Legal Council.
May 2026
The Council is established
The Council is formally constituted following presidential assent. The Act revokes Regulations 1 to 22 of L.I. 2355 and amends the Legal Profession Act, 1960, transferring legal education regulatory functions to the Council. The Ghana School of Law becomes a directorate of the Council.
Transitional provisions
What the Act means for students and graduates who began before it came into force.
Students already on the Professional Law Course
A person enrolled at the Ghana School of Law and undertaking the Professional Law Course before this Act came into force completes the course under the enactment and curriculum in force at the time of enrolment.
Act 1170 · s.93(1)
Students at unaccredited institutions
A person enrolled in a law programme at an institution that does not hold an accreditation licence may apply for admission to undertake Law Practice Training at the Ghana School of Law, or at any institution holding a valid accreditation licence.
Act 1170 · s.93(2)
Graduates awaiting Law Practice Training
A person who obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree before this Act came into force and has not yet undertaken Law Practice Training may apply for admission to the Ghana School of Law or any accredited institution.
Act 1170 · s.93(3)