Official Website of the Ghana School of Law

Dear Reader,

I doubt that it is updated regularly. But please click here.

UG Law v KNUST Law

The Faculty of Law at the UG has long been established as a very good law school. It has the best law library in the country (and that includes all libraries, including the Supreme Court library) and beyond. Most indicators would probably judge this to be the best faculty in Ghana.

I know a couple of lecturers from the Faculty of Law at KNUST. I know many lawyers and law students who have passed through this young faculty. Many of them are exceedingly fine legal brains.

I am tempted to think that the students from KNUST just about win it, judging from perceived performance at the Ghana School of Law. These are however only my personal views. Further, I think the KNUST students win by reason of youthfulness, and nothing else.

Application Period for the Faculty of Law at UG, Legon

Dear Reader,

The Faculty of Law, UG, usually puts out application forms for sale from the end of January through February. In lucky years, it is even extended.

If I hear about the actual date for this year, I will let you know in this space.

Good luck.

The Paths to Law after High School

Dear Reader,

There are different paths to law, if you are studying in Ghana. We will refer to the law degree as the LLB.

A) Doing a law degree as an undergraduate.

B) Doing a non-law degree as an undergraduate, and then doing a second degree in law. (This second degree is not a post-graduate degree.

Both A and B will lead you to the Ghana School of Law.

Let us break it down now.

A – Undergraduate Law

1. The institutions that offer this are KNUST, GIMPA and Zenith College.

2. At KNUST, it is a 4-year degree. I believe it is also 4 years at GIMPA. I believe it is 2 years at Zenith College. Zenith is probably the most flexible because you can choose a module which works for you (2, 3 or 4 years to complete).

3. Zenith College is a peculiar case. You can do their LLB with your High School qualification or with a degree. With your High School qualification, you will have to be assessed by the University of London for your suitability. Further, you can study the LLB as either a diploma (for 4 years) or a degree (2, 3 or 4 years).

4. KNUST offers a hybrid programme, really. There are some students studying law as a second degree. They complete the LLB in 3 years.

B – Non-Law Degree First

1. If you go to the University of Ghana, you will have to do some other degree first. It could be the humanities or the sciences or anything between.

2. If you get a good grade, you may write exams for entry into the Faculty of Law.

3. If you do well enough in the exams, you may be called for an interview.

4. Those who impress in the interview get admitted.

Post LLB

Whichever path you take, after you obtain the LLB, you apply to the 2-year certificate programme of the Ghana School of Law. It is becoming increasingly competitive as it now has many feeder institutions.

Timeframe

Depending on what path you choose, you could become a lawyer in 4, 5, 6, 8 or 9 years (considering national service) after you leave High School

Joining the Police

Dear Reader,

The question on the eligibility for police recruitment escaped my attention. I apologise for it. Please see some information below.


Qualifications and Competencies

• Must be a Ghanaian citizen by birth with no criminal record.
• Hold SSSCE/WASSCE Certificate with four (4) credits including English Language and at least a pass in Mathematics.
• A minimum age of 18 and not more than 25 years.
• Physically fit by Police standards
• Of a minimum height of 1.73 metres (5ft 8in) for Males and 1.63 metres (5ft 4in) for Females

How to Apply

Interested candidates should pick up application forms from the various Regional and District EMS Offices scattered across the country, complete them and send through the EMS system to the address below. An application fee of GHC20.00 is to be paid at the EMS Offices. All applicants who were previously shortlisted are requested to re-apply, produce receipts of previous payments and pay the difference of GHC9.00.

The Director-General/HRD
Ghana Police Service
Police Headquarters
P O Box GP 116
Accra

For more information, see the Ghana Police Service website here.

Pupillage, Specialization and Developing Areas of the Law in Ghana

1. While the law on the legal profession has provisions on pupillage, there are no fine detail on how it must be done. It is one's choice whether to do pupillage in a specializing law firm or an all-practice law firm - of course, one must be good enough to be recruited first by the law firm. There are not a whole of of firms in Ghana specializing. It even appears to me that - in the more developed countries - there is a move-back from specialization to all-practice 'boutique' firms again. You have to decide where you want to do your pupillage for yourself - bearing in mind what you want to practice in. Personally, I would more likely advise an all-practice.

2. There is no reason why you cannot specialize in "crime, contracts, employment, corporate law and wills & probate." But you may make the practice more 'rounded' by putting employment under corporate - because that is how it works usually - and doing family law - instead of just W & P. You need to think about whether you want to do criminal law together with the rest - which are all civil law. There are many factors of workload. One may be how many areas of practice you take up. I suspect however that the bigger factor is simply the quality of your clientele, complexity of matters you are dealing with and numbers of matters too.

3. Pupillage runs for 6 months - sometime after you are called to the bar in Ghana. It does not have to be immediate but - without it - there is a solicitor's certificate you need - but cannot obtain - to practise. You can only lawfully do pupillage under a lawyer who has practised the law for at least 7 years. Most people like to do their pupillage immediately after the call to the bar.

4. It is difficult to call any area of the law developing as such in this emerging economy. Let me rather tell you about industries which are promising - and they will need legal advice! Telecommunications is hot - I think. The financial services are hot too. There are many Small and Medium-Scase Enterprises in need of day-to-day legal guidance in all manner of matters. I have to say Oil-and-Gas too, although I admit I have a personal skepticism about whether it will really become 'hot'. I think 4 out of every 5 post-graduate degrees obtained by Ghanaian lawyers now will be in Oil-and-Gas. M&As are still not big in Ghana. Competition law is nascent at best. On another level - dispute resolution - Arbitration is fast gaining on Litigation as the preferred means of resolving disputes, especially by medium and big corporations.

Contacting the Ghana School of Law

For those wishing to contact the Ghana School Law, you can reach the office of the Registar on the numbers below:

+233 302 66 32 46

+233 302 66 77 06

to ask all your questions.

I am sorry it took this long to post, but I have been ill and also had a minor domestic accident.