PROFESSIONAL LAW COURSE (PLC)
This is a two-year Programme designed for Bachelor of Laws graduates from the University of Ghana, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (Kumasi), and other universities approved by the Council. Currently, students of the Professional Law Course study the following compulsory subjects:
Part I:
» Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
» Civil Procedure
» Company and Commercial Practice
» Criminal Procedure
» Law of Evidence
» Law Practice Management and Legal Accountancy
Part II:
» Advocacy & Legal Ethics
» Conveyancing and Drafting
» Family Law and Practice
» Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes
Successful candidates who pass the PLC are enrolled as Barristers at Law and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Ghana. Candidates who fail in one or two papers are made to write the referred paper in January of the following year.
At the end of each Academic Year, the students are assigned to a number of Judges Chambers, Law Firms or Legal Departments to undergo six (6) months of internship training. They spend three (3) months with one (1) institution and are then posted to another institution for another three (3) months. After the internship programme they are interviewed by a panel. It is only after they have successfully passed the interview that they are eligible to be called to the Bar.
To qualify for admission to the Ghana School of Law for the Professional Law Course, applicants must be successful both at the Entrance Examination and Interview. The categories of applicants listed below are eligible to write the Entrance Examination: ALL LLB graduates from the Faculties of Law of Public Universities in Ghana, including KNUST, Kumasi; University of Ghana(Legon) and GIMPA approved by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the General Legal Council (GLC).
- ALL LLB graduates from the Faculties of Law of Private University Colleges in Ghana approved by the NAB and GLC.
- ALL Ghanaian LLB graduates or holders of equivalent law degrees from Universities in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, and other common law jurisdictions who have obtained passes in all the prescribed subjects/courses for admission to the Professional Law Course.
For the avoidance of doubt, applicants from overseas/foreign Universities who possess LLB certificates or certificates for equivalent law degrees shall be eligible to write the Entrance Examination if such applicants have passed the subjects below at the LLB or equivalent level:
- Criminal Law
- Law of Equity and Succession
- Law of Torts
- Law of Contract
- Law of Immovable Property
- Company Law
- Commercial Law
In addition to the nine (9) subjects listed above, applicants must have studied and passed any one of the following subjects: Law of Natural Resources
- Environmental Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- Law of Taxation
Applicants who are admitted to undertake the Professional Law Course are enrolled as Barristers at Law and Solicitors of the Supreme Court upon their successful completion of the Course.
POST-CALL LAW COURSE
This course is designed for Ghanaians or non-Ghanaians who have qualified in Common Law countries outside Ghana, which operate a legal system analogous to Ghana.
Post-Call students study the following subjects:
» Criminal Procedure
» Civil Procedure
» Law of Evidence
» Family Law & Practice
» Law of Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes
» Ghana Constitutional Law
» Ghana Legal System
With effect from October 2013, the General Legal Council decided that the Course duration should be one academic year. Final examinations are held at the end of the Course which begins in October and ends in June of the following year. Successful candidates are also enrolled as Barristers at Law and Solicitors of the Supreme Court.
