The government is proposing a major reform of the regulation and disciplinary framework for lawyers through a new Legal Practitioners’ Standards Board Bill.
The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, announced the proposal at the opening of the 2026 Annual Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Ada.
He said the proposed independent statutory body would set and maintain standards of professional conduct and continuing competence, while a separate independent disciplinary committee would handle complaints against lawyers.
Dr Srem-Sai said the reform was necessary because the existing disciplinary system had been characterised by delays and concerns about fairness.
“Complaints against lawyers take several years to be resolved to the frustration of both the complainants and the lawyers complained about,” he said.
He said the proposed disciplinary committee would comprise lay persons, representatives of other professions and members of the Bar, with security of tenure and clear time-bound procedures.
The system 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.
Dr Srem-Sai rejected suggestions that the reform was intended to give government control over 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 aim was to remove the disciplinary process from government control and give the legal profession greater ownership, adding that the bill would be extensively consulted on with the GBA, General Legal Council, Judicial Council and other stakeholders before being presented to Parliament.
