AG to introduce Legal Practitioners Standard Board Bill in Parliament
Proposed Board to Strengthen Regulation of Legal Profession
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced plans to introduce the Legal Practitioners Standard Board Bill to Parliament as part of efforts to strengthen professional standards and accountability within Ghana’s legal profession.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish the Legal Practitioners Standard Board as an independent statutory body responsible for setting and maintaining standards of professional conduct and continuing competence among lawyers.
Dr Ayine made the announcement at the Ghana Bar Association Conference 2026/27 on September 14, 2026, held under the theme, “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving its Future with Industry.”
The announcement was contained in a speech delivered on his behalf by Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai.
Independent Mechanism for Complaints Against Lawyers
According to Dr Ayine, the proposed board will provide an independent mechanism for dealing with complaints against lawyers, with the aim of ensuring greater confidence and fairness in the disciplinary process.
The legislation will establish an independent disciplinary committee within the board, separate from its licensing and standard-setting functions.
The committee is expected to include lay persons, representatives from other professions and members of the Bar.
It will also have clearly defined procedures for receiving, investigating and determining complaints against lawyers.
Protecting Lawyers’ Rights
Dr Ayine said the proposed framework would also safeguard the rights of lawyers who face disciplinary proceedings.
Under the proposed system, lawyers would have the right to know the allegations against them, be given a full opportunity to respond, receive proportionate sanctions and appeal decisions to the courts.
He said the safeguards were necessary to prevent the disciplinary process from being abused.
“That way no lawyer in our beloved country need ever fear that the disciplinary process can be turned into an instrument of harassment by clients, a competitor or the Bench or indeed by the government,” he said.
Government Control Not the Objective
The Attorney-General stressed that the proposed reforms were not intended to place the legal profession’s disciplinary process under political control.
“This reform is not an attempt by the government to bring the disciplinary proceedings of lawyers under political control,” he said.
“It is quite the opposite. It is to extricate the disciplinary procedures from government control and make the Ghana Bar Association and the Bar the owners of this process.”
Dr Ayine said an independent regulatory system was particularly important because lawyers must be able to challenge and hold governments accountable when necessary.
Independence Considered Critical
He explained that the independence of the proposed regulator would strengthen the profession’s ability to discipline its members without political interference.
“It is only this kind of regulator that we believe can credibly discipline the profession whose members must from time to time stand up to the government of the day,” he said.
The proposed arrangement, he added, was intended to strengthen public confidence in the legal profession while protecting lawyers from arbitrary or politically motivated disciplinary action.
Extensive Consultations Planned
Dr Ayine said the proposed bill would not be presented to Parliament without extensive consultation with key stakeholders in the legal sector.
The consultations will involve the Ghana Bar Association, General Legal Council, Judicial Council and other relevant stakeholders.
He said the process would begin with consideration by Cabinet before the proposed legislation is eventually submitted to Parliament.
The announcement marks a significant proposed change to the way professional standards and disciplinary matters involving lawyers are regulated in Ghana, with the government seeking to establish a system that balances accountability, professional independence and due process.
