The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, has announced plans to introduce a Legal Practitioners’ Standards Board Bill to reform the regulation and discipline of lawyers.
He said the proposed independent statutory body would set and maintain standards of professional conduct and continuing competence expected of legal practitioners.
The proposed legislation would also create an independent disciplinary committee separate from the licensing and standard-setting functions of the board.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Annual Conference of the GBA in Ada yesterday, Dr Srem-Sai said the move had become necessary because the existing disciplinary system had been characterised by delays and concerns about fairness.
The conference, which is on the theme, “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving its Future with Industry,” brought together members of the legal profession and other stakeholders to reflect on the evolution of the profession and its future.
“Complaints against lawyers take several years to be resolved to the frustration of both the complainants and the lawyers complained about,” the Deputy Attorney-General said.
He said the existing system did not sufficiently separate the investigation of complaints from their adjudication, a situation he described as unfair.
The proposed disciplinary committee, he said, would include lay persons, representatives of other professions and members of the bar, with security of tenure and clear time-bound procedures.
It would also guarantee lawyers the right to know the case against them, the right to be heard, proportionate sanctions and the right of appeal to the courts.
‘Not political control’
Dr Srem-Sai stressed that the proposed reform was not an attempt by the government to take political control of the disciplinary process.
“This reform is not an attempt by the government to bring the disciplinary proceedings of lawyers under political control. It is quite the opposite,” he said.
He said the intention was to extricate the disciplinary process from government control and give the bar greater ownership of the process.
The Deputy Attorney-General said the bill would be subjected to extensive consultations involving the GBA, General Legal Council, Judicial Council and other stakeholders before it was presented to Parliament.
He also announced three initiatives to improve the welfare of lawyers — a national professional indemnity insurance scheme, a strengthened Ghana Bar Association welfare fund and a stipend framework for pupils and young lawyers.
The stipend framework, he said, was intended to ensure that young lawyers were trained rather than exploited during their formative years.
CJ backs reforms
Delivering the address of the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Justice Anthony Forson Jnr said the Judiciary was undertaking several reforms to modernise the administration of justice.
Efua Ghartey, President, Ghana Bar Association
He cited the ongoing review of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules and the e-Justice programme as some of the measures intended to improve the efficiency and accessibility of the justice system.
He said the draft High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2026 was ready for laying before Parliament when it resumed from recess.
“A justice system cannot remain still while the society itself moves forward, and so we must reform,” he said.
Justice Forson also spoke about the impact of artificial intelligence on the legal profession, urging lawyers to embrace technology without losing the human element of the law.
He said AI could conduct legal research, analyse documents and generate drafts, but cautioned lawyers against becoming overly dependent on technology.
“The future lawyer must therefore be both technological and more human, more knowledgeable but also more discerning, more efficient but also more ethical,” he said.
The Chief Justice also urged the GBA to guard its independence and avoid being perceived as an appendage of any government or political party.
He said the strength of the Bar lay in its fidelity to the law, constitutionalism and justice.
GBA questions CJ
The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Efua Ghartey, expressed disappointment with the recent comments by the Chief Justice comparing the performance of a public institution under the present administration with that of the previous government.
She said the comments by the Chief Justice could create the impression that the Judiciary was taking sides in the political affairs of the country.
“The recent commendation of a public institution and the comparison to a past government’s output by no mean a person than the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana left much to be desired,” she said.
Mrs Ghartey also criticised the Judicial Service's subsequent attempt to defend the Chief Justice, calling it “at best lacklustre”.
Judicial independence
The GBA President said the association would continue to defend the independence of the Judiciary in accordance with Article 128 of the 1992 Constitution.
She, however, cautioned that the independence of the Judiciary did not give its officers the latitude to engage in partisan political conduct.
Mrs Ghartey said the Bar would remain vigilant in ensuring that public institutions operated within constitutional standards.
She also raised concerns about excessive bail conditions, and called for bail to be reasonable, proportionate and consistent with the constitutional presumption of innocence.
The bar, she said, was considering a human rights watch committee to monitor compliance with Article 14 and other human rights provisions and provide legal assistance to suspects where necessary.
The conference is also being used to reflect on the 150-year journey of Ghana's formal legal system and consider how the profession can respond to changing national and global realities.
Mrs Ghartey said the 150th anniversary of the Supreme Court Ordinance of 1876 provided an opportunity to recognise the complementary roles played by judges, lawyers and other actors in the justice delivery system.
She said the legal profession had grown from 11 lawyers in 1957 to more than 12,000 members and needed to prepare for further expansion following the implementation of the Legal Education Act, 2026.
