Overview of the CDT Directorate
The Curriculum Development and Testing (CDT) Directorate is a key directorate within the Council for Legal Education and Training (CLET). It is responsible for developing and maintaining curricula for legal education programmes, ensuring that they align with statutory requirements, professional standards, and the evolving needs of the legal profession.The Directorate oversees the delivery and implementation of legal education programmes by establishing academic standards, monitoring programme quality, and supporting consistent curriculum execution across training institutions.It is also responsible for the design, administration, and continuous improvement of assessments and testing processes to ensure that examinations are valid, reliable, fair, and capable of accurately measuring candidates' competence.
Academic Curriculum for the Bachelor of Laws
The CDT, in consultation with accredited institutions, shall develop a comprehensive curriculum for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme. The curriculum shall be in accordance with contemporary demands for legal services and meet the standards set by the Council and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.
The Council shall, in consultation with accredited institutions, develop a comprehensive curriculum for a Bachelor of Laws programme. The curriculum shall be reviewed every five years to take account of new developments in the law.
Content of the LLB Curriculum
The curriculum for a Bachelor of Laws programme shall provide a comprehensive range of both theoretical foundations and practice-based competencies, preparing students to serve effectively as legal practitioners.
Core Curriculum Requirements
- Instructions necessary for impartation of a particular subject matter or skill
- Practical and theoretical training in the law
- Opportunity to take elective courses
- Training in information technology, having regard to the rapid growth of technology in the legal profession globally
- Pre-determined course content for courses offered, including relevant statutes, cases, articles and books
- Instructions on the ethics and values of the legal profession
- Practice-based skills and competency training
- Instruction in legal research to instil a research culture in students
Practice-Based Skills & Competency Training
Oral Presentation & Advocacy
Training in oral argument, court presentation and persuasive legal advocacy.
Interviewing & Counselling
Client interview skills and legal counselling techniques.
Legal Research & Writing
At least two writing experiences, one in first year and one in subsequent years.
Applied Legal Writing
Drafting contracts, pleadings and other legal instruments.
Pre-Trial Preparation
Discovery, motion practice, assessing evidence and utilising experts.
Trial Practice Skills
Hands-on courtroom practice and evidence management.
Transactional Skills
Formation of corporations and transaction management.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Mediation, arbitration and ADR instruction.
Assessment, Grading & Academic Standards (LLB)
Accredited institutions are required to establish clear, uniform standards for the conduct of assessments, grading, student retention and academic freedom. These provisions ensure fairness and quality across all accredited law programmes.
Scholastic Standards
- Scholastic standards for legal education: institutions shall set written standards to assess capability and dismiss unfit students
- Retention, academic disqualification and graduation policies consistent with institution's general policies
- Evaluation of students for advancement and retention, on the basis of performance in courses pursued
- Disqualification for failure in assessment, where a student is unable to complete the programme successfully
- Prompt marking and early release of results by law lecturers
- Submission of detailed performance report to the Council within time indicated by the Council
- Repetition of courses: policies on re-taking failed courses, effect on CGPA, and maximum permitted retakes
- Academic freedom: the freedom of lecturers to state a position without fear of reprisal; scholarship and research
Law Practice Training
A person who holds a Bachelor of Laws degree must undergo Law Practice Training (LPT) in order to qualify to sit the National Bar Examination. LPT spans one academic year and covers the practical dimensions of legal practice.
The duration for Law Practice Training is one academic year. Upon successful completion, the institution shall award a Law Practice Training Certificate to the candidate.
What Law Practice Training Involves
Classroom Instructions: Substantive Legal Subjects
The following five subjects must be taught as part of LPT in accordance with The Legal Education Act, 2026 (Act 1170)
Civil Procedure
Including a component that deals with the law of evidence in respect of proof in civil litigation.
Criminal Procedure
Including a component that covers the law of evidence in respect of criminal trials.
Advocacy, Ethics & Practice of Law
Including topics on law practice management, basic accountancy and professional responsibility.
Conveyancing & Drafting
Property transactions, conveyancing practice and the drafting of legal documents and instruments.
Law of Evidence
General principles of evidence applicable across civil and criminal proceedings.
Legal Aid Provision
The provision of legal services on an ad hoc basis to needy clients.
Judicial Clerkship or Administrative Agency
Working as a law clerk for a judge or a magistrate, or working in an administrative agency.
Active Law Firm Engagement
Active engagement in a law firm as part of supervised law practice training.
National Bar Examination
The National Bar Examination (NBE) is the qualifying assessment that every eligible candidate must sit and pass in order to be enrolled on the Roll of Lawyers in Ghana. It is administered by the National Bar Examination Committee (NBEC), a statutory body established under Act 1170 that oversees and sets the standards for the examination.
The NBE is Ghana's national gateway examination to legal practice. It tests a candidate's command of the core areas of legal practice and their ability to apply fundamental principles of law to practical legal problems. No person may be enrolled on the Roll of Lawyers without passing it.
Who Qualifies to Sit
A person qualifies to sit for the National Bar Examination if that person:
(a) holds a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Law Practice Training Certificate from an institution accredited by the Council;
OR
(b) has successfully completed the Post-Call Law Course conducted by the Ghana School of Law.
Mode of Conduct
The National Bar Examination Committee shall determine the manner and the period within which the National Bar Examination shall be conducted.
Areas of Law Examined
Civil Procedure
Including a component covering the law of evidence in respect of proof in civil litigation.
Criminal Procedure
Including a component covering the law of evidence in respect of criminal trials.
Advocacy, Ethics & Practice
Law practice management, basic accountancy and professional responsibility.
Conveyancing & Drafting
Property transactions, conveyancing practice and legal document drafting.
Law of Evidence
General principles of evidence applicable across civil and criminal proceedings.
Roadmap to the National Bar Examination Accredited Institution Pathway
For the standard pathway, a person must complete both the LLB and the Law Practice Training (LPT) programme with the required certifications from an institution accredited by the Council before sitting the National Bar Examination.
Obtain an LLB from an Accredited Institution
Complete the Bachelor of Laws programme and receive the LLB qualification from an institution accredited by the Council.
Complete Law Practice Training (LPT)
Undertake the one-year Law Practice Training programme and satisfy the practical training requirements prescribed for legal education.
Receive the Law Practice Training Certificate
After successfully completing LPT, obtain the Law Practice Training Certificate from the accredited institution.
Sit and Pass the National Bar Examination
Use the LLB and LPT Certificate to qualify for the NBE, then successfully pass the examination administered by the National Bar Examination Committee.
Receive a Qualifying Certificate and Become Eligible for Enrolment
Once you pass the NBE, the Council issues a Qualifying Certificate, after which you may apply to be enrolled on the Roll of Lawyers.
Alternative Roadmap to the National Bar Examination Post-Call Law Course Pathway
A person who has successfully completed the Post-Call Law Course conducted by the Ghana School of Law may use that route to become eligible to sit for the National Bar Examination. This is mainly for foreign-trained lawyers or those who qualify to be lawyers in jurisdictions outside Ghana.
Complete the Post-Call Law Course
Successfully complete and be awarded a certificate for the Post-Call Law Course conducted by the Ghana School of Law.
Become Eligible to Sit the National Bar Examination
Upon successful completion of the course, the person becomes eligible to write the National Bar Examination.
Supplementary Roadmap to the National Bar Examination Top-Up and LPT Pathway
This pathway is for students who completed their LLB before the law came into force but could not enter the Ghana School of Law. They may take top-up courses at an accredited institution, proceed to LPT, and then become eligible to write the National Bar Examination.
Hold an Earlier LLB Qualification
The candidate completed an LLB before the current law was passed but did not gain entry to the Ghana School of Law.
Take Top-Up Courses at an Accredited Institution
Undertake the required supplementary courses at an institution accredited by the Council.
Complete Law Practice Training (LPT)
After the top-up stage, proceed to LPT and successfully complete the programme.
Become Eligible to Write the NBE
Once LPT is successfully completed, the candidate becomes eligible to write the National Bar Examination.
A person who fails the National Bar Examination may, subject to the payment of the prescribed fee, re-sit the National Bar Examination. The Council shall prescribe rules to govern the re-sit of the National Bar Examination.