The Ghana Law Society (GLS) has announced plans to transform the current pupillage system into a structured 12-month national service programme for newly qualified lawyers.
GLS President, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, Esq., announced the proposed reform during his welcome address at the Society’s Annual Conference in Accra on September 19, 2026.
The conference, held under the theme “Law Reforms: The Role of the Ghanaian Lawyer,” was used to outline the initiative as one of seven key pillars of the Ghana Law Society’s Bar Reform Programme.
According to Mr Dafeamekpor, the existing system has resulted in an uneven distribution of legal professionals across the country, with a concentration of lawyers in major urban centres.
He said the current arrangement “overproduces lawyers for Accra and underproduces legal service for Ghana.”
He noted that more than 1,500 students are admitted into the professional law programme annually, while more than 1,200 are called to the Bar. However, many of them subsequently enter an already saturated and poorly supervised legal market, particularly in Accra and Kumasi.
Mr Dafeamekpor said fewer than 8,000 lawyers currently hold active practising certificates, with more than 72% practising in Accra, Kumasi and Tema. He further indicated that over 190 districts across the country do not have a law firm.
He also criticised the existing six-month pupillage arrangement, describing it as “six months of carrying files, photocopying processes, loitering in corridors, unpaid, unmentored, unmonitored, and uninspired.”
According to him, the system “teaches hierarchy but not humanity.”
Ghana Law Society-National Service Scheme
Under the proposed Ghana Law Society-National Service Scheme (GLS-NSS), the Society will collaborate with the National Service Secretariat through a Memorandum of Understanding expected to be executed later this year.
Fresh lawyers will be posted to districts across the country for 12 months and assigned to various public institutions, including District Assemblies, the Legal Aid Commission, CHRAJ, the Judicial Service, Regional Lands Commissions and regional offices of the Attorney-General.
Their responsibilities will include assisting District Assemblies with drafting bye-laws and improving internally generated revenue collection, providing legal assistance to poor and vulnerable persons, supporting CHRAJ investigations and assisting judges and magistrates with legal research and judgment writing.
They will also support land title registration and alternative dispute resolution at Regional Lands Commissions, while lawyers posted to the Attorney-General’s regional offices will contribute to prosecutorial and civil justice work.
Supervision and professional development
The programme will introduce a structured monitoring system for participating lawyers.
Each service lawyer will be required to maintain a Pupilage Logbook and submit monthly reports to a Regional Pupil Master appointed by the Ghana Law Society.
Participants will also complete five mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) modules covering Ethics and Professional Conduct, Conveyancing and Land Governance, Advocacy and Legal Aid, Local Government Law, and Legislative Drafting.
In addition, each lawyer will have a Senior Mentor from the Bar and a Field Supervisor at their assigned institution.
Remuneration and certification
Under the proposed arrangement, participating lawyers will receive the standard National Service allowance, supplemented by funding from the proposed Ghana Law Society Pupilage Support Fund and assistance from development partners.
Mr Dafeamekpor said the reform is intended to ensure that newly qualified lawyers receive adequate support while gaining practical experience.
“We will no longer produce lawyers who cannot afford to be lawyers,” he said.
Upon successfully completing the programme, participants will receive both a Certificate of Pupilage and a Certificate of Community Service. The two certificates will be required for the renewal of their first annual Solicitor’s Licence.
Mr Dafeamekpor said the reform reflects the Society’s view that newly qualified lawyers should contribute to public service before moving fully into private practice.
“We must earn the right to private practice by first serving the public,” he said.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar.