The General Legal Council (GLC) will be stripped of its role in legal education under sweeping reforms being pursued by the government, Deputy Attorney General Dr Justice Srem Sai has revealed.

The long-standing institution will no longer control legal training or call new lawyers to the Bar — responsibilities that will now be transferred to a new, independent body.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday, Dr Srem Sai said the Legal Education Bill currently under consideration will correct what he called a decades-old “stop-gap measure” that has outlived its usefulness.

“The GLC was meant to be temporary,” he said.

“It was supposed to be a stop-gap measure during Kwame Nkrumah’s time, when we didn’t have enough lawyers. That’s why it was doing everything - legal education, standards at the Bar, enrollment, discipline. But that system is outdated.”

He explained that the reforms will “decouple” the GLC’s current roles into two distinct institutions, one for legal education and another to oversee professional standards.

“There will be a different body that runs legal education and is responsible for calling people to the Bar. Then there will be another body that focuses on maintaining standards once you’re a lawyer,” Dr Srem Sai said.

While some have described the reform as a move to “scrap” the GLC, the Deputy Attorney General disagrees.

“The GLC will remain. But its focus will change. Its educational function will be taken over and given to a new institution. That’s all,” he clarified.

He insisted that the General Legal Council still has an important role to play.

“Those who say the GLC is being scrapped say that because they associate it with legal education. But once the structure is clarified, they’ll see it is still very relevant. Just not in education.”

Dr Srem Sai said the historical roots of the current system explain its limitations.

“We didn’t have the human resources back then to form separate bodies. So the GLC did everything. But this is 2024. We need a proper structure for legal education. This is not a new idea. It’s a necessary correction.”

He noted that the new system will bring Ghana closer to international best practice and enhance the quality of legal education and professional regulation.

“It’s about efficiency. It’s about doing things the right way. The time has come.”

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