How To Become A Lawyer In Ghana

In this guide, I will show you how to become a Lawyer in Ghana. I will be talking about the whole procedures involved in practising law in Ghana. The process of becoming a lawyer in Ghana is actually a long ride. It’s a journey that begins right from your senior high school.

Law is a professional course, that has many enthusiasts. In fact, many young minds want to climb to the peak of the law profession. Some want to become Judges, Cheif Justices and the rest.

It’s a good thing to dream big. However, to actualize your dream, you need to start somewhere. To be in the right path, you need to first be in the right class, meet the minimum requirements to study law, go to law school and obtain your practising license.

How To Become A Lawyer In Ghana

Like I have said, the first step of becoming a lawyer starts from your senior high school. That means you must pass the required subjects at your ‘O’ Level or ‘A’ Level exams.

Admission Requirements to Study Law in Ghana

To study law at a Ghana university, there are some requirements that you must meet before you are being offered admission. There are actually three ways of doing that. We’ll take you through the three categories.

Category One: 4—Year (full-time) LLB programme

Category 1 candidates are admitted as holders of:

(i) WASSSCE with credits in the three core subjects (English, Mathematics and Integrated Science) and three WASSSCE elective subjects in General Arts or Science or Business with Business Management, Economics, Accounting, Costing and Business Mathematics with aggregate 20 or better.

(ii) GCE Advanced Level with credit in at least five ‘O’ level subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, together with three ‘A’ Levels or equivalent in Arts or Science subjects.

iii)  Mature candidates who must be 25 years of age and above with credits in at least five ‘O’ Levels, including English Language and Mathematics.

Category Two: 3—Year (full-time) LLB programme

Category 2 candidates are admitted as holders of a first degree in a discipline other than law. Candidates in this category will be required to do a three-year full-time LLB programme.

Category Three: 4—Year (part-time) LLB programme

Category 3 candidates are also admitted as first degree holders in a non-law subject. Candidates in this category will be required to do a four-year part-time LLB programme.

Enrol in Ghana Law School

After your LLB programme, you need to enrol at Ghana Law School before you can become a lawyer in Ghana. The Ghana School of Law is a two-year programme.

Before you can apply to the Ghana Law School, you need to meet the admission requirements.

To become a lawyer in Ghana could take a total of six years for most WASSCE applicants. However, for those who already have a first degree and want to study law, it depends on the university you obtain the law degree (LL.B) from. It could be two, three or four years depending on the university you attend.

Ghanaians who obtained an LLB degree in a foreign university also need to apply to the Ghana Law School before they can be called to bar in Ghana.

Obtain License to Practice Law in Ghana

This is the last step that you need to practice law in Ghana. Once you have been called to bar, you need to obtain a license from the Ghana Legal Council to practice law in Ghana.

In fact, it is mandatory that all lawyers wishing to practice within the jurisdiction of Ghana, first obtain a license issued by the council. If you want to obtain the license to practice law in Ghana, visit the office of the Ghana Bar Association and go through the necessary processes or download the form below.

Solicitor’s Application Form

How to Become A Judge in Ghana

If you have gotten to this point, congratulations, you are on the right path to becoming a judge in Ghana. In fact, the first thing that you need is to first become a lawyer and then obtain your license to practice law in Ghana.

You can become a court magistrate right after becoming a lawyer. After practising as a lawyer for at least five years, you can become a Circuit Court Judge. To become a High Court Judge, you must practice law for at least ten years and twelve years for a Court of Appeal Judge. To become a supreme court judge, you must have at least fifteen years experience as a practising lawyer in Ghana.