Ghana School of Law PLC: Law Practice Management (GLC) study plan

Compare the recognised Ghanaian legal practice structures (sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited liability partnership where available, and incorporated law firm) and list the liability, tax, and regulatory consequences of each in a one-page table

Draft a partnership deed outline for a three-lawyer firm covering profit sharing, capital contribution, decision-making, dissolution, and exit of a partner

Map the governance bodies and statutory instruments that regulate legal practice in Ghana, including the General Legal Council, the Ghana Bar Association, and the Legal Profession Act, and note the practical obligations each imposes on a new firm

Build a staffing chart for a five-lawyer firm showing fee earners, pupil barristers, paralegals, and support staff, and write a one-paragraph justification for each role

Write job descriptions and a structured interview scorecard for an associate and a legal secretary, using competencies rather than credentials alone

Draft a client engagement letter and retainer agreement that sets out scope, fees, communication protocol, confidentiality, conflict checks, and termination rights

Produce a conflict-of-interest checklist and apply it to three hypothetical fact patterns, recording the decision and reasoning for each

Summarise the core professional conduct duties owed to clients and to the court, and identify three situations where those duties pull in opposite directions

Explain the difference between client account and office account, and state which receipts must pass through the client account

Post ten practice transactions covering a retainer, a disbursement, a partial payment of fees, and a refund, and reconcile the client ledger to a closing balance

Draft a fee note and a billing policy that explains hourly, fixed-fee, and contingency arrangements, including how disbursements and VAT are treated

Write a short note on handling client money when a matter closes with an unclaimed balance, and identify the escalation steps

Design a records retention schedule that classifies matter files, trust records, personnel files, and correspondence by retention period and destruction method

Specify the minimum contents of a matter file at opening, during the matter, and at closure, and convert this into a file-opening checklist

Evaluate three law office technology options (practice management software, document management, and secure client communication) against cost, data protection, and usability criteria

Draft a data protection and confidentiality policy covering storage, access rights, breach notification, and third-party vendors

Produce a research trail for a single legal problem showing the sources consulted, search terms used, authorities found, and how each authority was verified as current

Draft a statement of claim, a defence, and a witness statement from a supplied fact pattern, applying correct formatting and citation conventions

Build a case management timeline for a civil matter from intake to trial, identifying deadlines, filing steps, and the documents required at each stage

Write a hearing preparation checklist covering bundles, authorities, witness briefing, and courtroom logistics

Prepare an opening address and a closing submission outline for a civil trial, keeping each to a timed structure

Compare negotiation, mediation, and arbitration and identify the types of dispute for which each is best suited in a Ghanaian practice context

Draft a mediation agreement to mediate, an arbitration clause, and a settlement agreement, checking each for enforceability essentials

Role-play a negotiation using a prepared position paper, then record what concessions were made and why

Compile a risk register for a small firm listing at least eight risks with likelihood, impact, mitigation, and owner for each

Explain the scope and limits of professional indemnity cover and identify the common exclusions a practitioner should know

Draft a compliance calendar covering practising certificate renewal, continuing professional development, tax filings, and trust account reporting

Design a business development plan for a new firm identifying target client segments, referral channels, a fee-earner marketing budget, and pro bono or legal aid commitments

Revisit the highest-weight domains and consolidate notes into a single set of revision sheets organised by domain

Complete a timed mock examination under exam conditions and mark it against the domain weightings

Identify the three weakest areas from the mock result and write a targeted remediation note for each

Rehearse the ethical and accounting scenarios most likely to be tested by writing model answers to five past-style problems