Private legal practitioner, Maurice Kwabena Ampaw has criticized the newly assented Legal Education Bill, describing it as a rushed attempt to expand access to the legal profession at the expense of quality and professional standards.
His comments follow presidential assent to the Legal Education Bill on Monday, May 11, 2026, which introduces reforms aimed at broadening professional legal training in Ghana.
The Legal Education Act establishes a Council to regulate professional legal education and training in the country, while also setting the curriculum and standards for legal education.
The Act further introduces competition into the system by ending the Ghana School of Law’s exclusive authority over professional legal education.
Speaking on The Public Sphere show on Radio Univers, Mr. Ampaw argued that the legislation prioritises increased enrolment into the legal profession without adequately considering the long-term impact on the competence of lawyers being produced.
“I think that this bill has been rushed. It was an agenda to open floodgates to get a lot of people into the legal profession without thinking about the quality and then the standards. These are the two keywords — the quality of the lawyers we are going to produce,” he said.
He also raised concerns about what he described as the growing politicisation of the legal profession, warning that partisan influence could undermine integrity and weaken professional standards within the legal space.
“I’m foreseeing a lot of partisanship and politicisation of the legal profession. Politicisation of the legal profession will produce incompetent lawyers – lawyers who don’t have the moral character and proven integrity,” he stated.
Mr. Ampaw further stressed the need for legal education to be managed independently by competent professionals without political interference.
“Politicisation of the legal profession is the order of the day now, and I think that needs to be stopped. Our mission is to stay away from legal education and allow professionals and competent people to run the institution,” he added.
He also expressed concern over the emergence of politically affiliated lawyer associations, arguing that such developments threaten neutrality within the profession.
“Because we have a government that believes there’s a need for us to establish law on the ground, we now have NDC lawyers’ associations, and then we end up having NPP lawyers’ associations. Therefore, if you have these political lawyer groups, anyone who belongs to them is automatically linked to political affiliations. It is dangerous,” he said.
According to him, the increasing political influence within the profession is gradually eroding confidence in legal practice and could ultimately lower standards.
“That is exactly what is happening. So currently, I’m not comfortable. I’m telling you that the standard will be lowered,” he added.
He further argued that the bill may not be sustainable in the long term, especially with changes in political administration.
“This deal will not survive when there’s a change of government,” he stated.
The passage of the bill marks a significant shift in Ghana’s legal education system, although questions remain over its long-term impact on the profession.
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Story by Hannah Ahema Frimpong | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
