Concerns that Ghana’s legal education reforms will flood the market with lawyers are misplaced, according to Eunice Appiah Asare.

Asare said the new accreditation and training framework would prioritise quality over quantity.

“These are not just going to be any lawyers… they are going to be properly trained lawyers,” she said on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (10 June).

She argued that the perception of oversupply stems partly from underutilisation of legal services in Ghana.

“There are many areas where lawyers are required, but people don’t use them,” she said, citing land transactions where legal representation is legally mandated but often ignored.

She added that stronger use of legal professionals could reduce litigation through early dispute resolution mechanisms such as alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

On access, Asare acknowledged financial barriers but said institutions are expected to develop scholarship schemes through partnerships and endowment funding.

She also advised prospective students to prepare for the academic demands of legal training.

“Law is not a walk in the park… you must have the passion to read and to learn,” she said.

Despite the challenges, she encouraged young Ghanaians interested in law to pursue the profession, describing it as fundamentally about service to society.