Acting Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has issued a powerful call for an “urgent and meaningful reform” of the nation’s legal education system, describing the current situation as a “critical turning point” for the future of the legal profession.
The Acting Chief Justice delivered his compelling address on Friday, October 10, during the formal enrolment ceremony for 824 newly qualified lawyers, a figure that, while substantial, underscores the mounting challenges and access crisis at the Ghana School of Law (GSL).
Crisis of Access and Quality
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s remarks come against the backdrop of staggering data on admission bottlenecks. The GSL entrance examination, administered by the Independent Examinations Committee (IEC) of the General Legal Council (GLC), has seen tens of thousands of LLB graduates locked out of professional training in recent years.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who assumed the acting role in April 2025, framed the crisis as an opportunity for revitalisation.
Speaking to the newly inducted members of the Bar, he declared that his appointment comes “at a defining moment — a season both for reflection and urgent reform in legal education in our beloved Ghana.”
The Imperative for Modernization
The Acting Chief Justice acknowledged that the challenges extend far beyond mere numbers. They include pervasive questions regarding educational quality, inadequate infrastructure at GSL campuses, and the need to integrate modern legal practice, especially in an era dominated by technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“But challenges must not be seen as signs of decay but banks of renewal. The challenges we face today are the very light that must illuminate our path forward,” he asserted.
He noted the intensity of the ongoing public discourse, confirming that “the airwaves are already thick with the news of reforms, as hope and frustration for the aspiring lawyer intermingle in equal measure.”
Beyond Quantity: A Call for Purposeful Reform
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s primary injunction to the General Legal Council and the Ghana School of Law was to adopt reforms that are qualitative, not just quantitative. Ghana’s legal community must look beyond the immediate pressure to admit more students and focus on the kind of legal professional the country requires for the 21st Century.
“The reforms we pursue must go beyond merely increasing student numbers,” he stressed. “We must refine the very purpose of legal education to meet the demands of the 21st century.”
The onus is now firmly placed on the GLC, the statutory body responsible for legal education, to devise a structural solution that resolves the acute access crisis while ensuring that the 824 new lawyers enrolled, and those who follow, are equipped with the skills and ethical standards necessary to serve the Ghanaian jurisdiction.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who was himself called to the Bar in 1983, is expected to champion this reform agenda throughout his tenure.
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