You passed the GIMPA Law entrance examination. Congratulations — genuinely. That is no small achievement. The written examination filters out a significant number of applicants, and clearing it tells the Law School something important about your intellectual capacity and your commitment to this path.
But here is what nobody tells you clearly enough: passing the entrance exam is only half the battle.
The interview is where the real test begins. It is where candidates who performed brilliantly on paper lose their place to candidates who prepared better for the room. It is where nervousness, poor presentation, and an inability to articulate yourself under pressure undo months of academic work. And it is, frankly, where most shortlisted candidates fall short — not because they are not capable, but because they did not know what was expected of them when they sat down across from that panel.
I have seen this pattern too many times. This piece is designed to make sure it does not happen to you.
Here are the four things you must master before you walk into that room — plus one bonus that could be the difference between a place and a rejection letter.
1. Know Your First-Degree Transcript — Every Grade, Every Course, Every Story
The interview panel will have your academic transcript in front of them. They have read it. They have noticed things. And they will ask you about them.
If you failed a course, they will ask you about it. If your grades dropped in a particular semester, they will ask you about it. If your performance in your final year was significantly better or significantly worse than your earlier years, they will want to know why.
The instinct of many candidates is to hope these issues are overlooked or to give vague, defensive answers when they are raised. This is exactly the wrong approach. The panel is not trying to embarrass you — they are testing your honesty, your self-awareness, and your ability to reflect critically on your own experience. These are precisely the qualities that a good lawyer must have.
Know your transcript better than they do. Be able to speak clearly and without shame about every grade — the excellent ones and the difficult ones. If you struggled in a particular course, explain the circumstances honestly and then, critically, explain what you learned from that experience and how you responded. A candidate who can say “I failed Constitutional Law in my second year, and here is why, and here is what I did differently afterwards” demonstrates exactly the kind of intellectual honesty and resilience that the legal profession demands.
Do not memorise a script. Know your story, and tell it truthfully.
2. Dress to Impress — Not to Distract
The legal profession is one in which appearance communicates before you speak a single word. The moment you walk into that interview room, the panel begins forming impressions. Make sure those impressions work for you.
The rule is straightforward. Men should wear a dark suit — navy blue or black — with a white or very pale blue shirt, a conservative tie, and polished shoes. Women should wear a dark suit or a professional dress in conservative colours, with minimal jewellery and practical, professional footwear.
What you want to avoid is equally clear. Bright colours — red, yellow, orange, green — draw attention to your clothing rather than to you. Excessive jewellery, strong fragrances, and overly fashionable or trendy outfits signal that you misread the room. Casual clothing — jeans, sneakers, short-sleeved shirts — communicates that you do not take the occasion seriously.
The objective of your dress is to present yourself as someone who already belongs in the legal profession — someone the panel can already imagine standing before a judge, advising a client, or representing Ghana’s interests in a courtroom. Dress like the lawyer you intend to become.
One practical note: whatever you wear, make sure it fits properly and is clean, pressed, and comfortable. Confidence is very hard to project when you are uncomfortable in your clothing.
3. Be News-Smart — Know What Is Happening in Ghana and in the Law
A GIMPA Law School interview panel will test your awareness of current affairs — particularly current legal, governance, and policy issues in Ghana. They may ask you about anti-corruption efforts, recent landmark court decisions, pending legislation, or major national controversies that touch on law and justice. They are assessing whether you are someone who reads, thinks critically, and engages with the world around you.
Do not walk into that room blind.
In the weeks before your interview, read the legal and governance news daily. Your primary sources should be Myjoyonline.com, 3news.com, and Citinewsroom.com for general current affairs. For legal-specific developments, follow the Ghana Legal Information Institute, monitor Supreme Court judgments, and read commentary from legal practitioners and academics on current legal issues.
Be particularly aware of ongoing debates in the following areas: judicial independence and the rule of law, Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture including CHRAJ, the OSP, and EOCO, major recent Supreme Court decisions, parliamentary legislation that has attracted public controversy, and Ghana’s obligations under international treaties and regional frameworks including ECOWAS and the AfCFTA.
When you are asked for your opinion on a legal or policy issue, do not freeze and do not give a vague non-answer. Have a position. State it clearly and logically. Show that you can reason through a problem, consider multiple perspectives, and arrive at a defensible conclusion. That is what lawyers do. Start demonstrating it in the interview room.
4. Ask a Question Before You Leave — Every Time
At the end of virtually every professional interview, you will be asked: “Do you have any questions for us?” This moment matters enormously, and most candidates waste it.
Do not say “No, please.” Full stop. Never say “No, please” at a law school interview. That response communicates passivity, lack of curiosity, and insufficient investment in the opportunity you are seeking. It is the interview equivalent of arriving unprepared.
Instead, ask a genuine, thoughtful question that reflects your serious interest in the institution and the programme. Consider questions such as:
“Could you share more about the student support structures available to law students at the faculty, particularly for students who are balancing study with professional commitments?”
“How does the faculty support students who are interested in pursuing specialisations in areas like international law or commercial practice?”
“What has been the most exciting development at the faculty in the past two or three years?”
“What do the most successful graduates of this programme tend to have in common?”
Asking a good question does three things simultaneously. It demonstrates genuine curiosity and intellectual engagement. It signals that you have done your research and thought seriously about attending this institution. And it leaves the panel with a positive final impression of you as someone who is active and engaged rather than passive and relieved simply to be in the room.
Prepare two or three questions before the interview. You may not need all of them, but having them ready ensures you are never caught without something thoughtful to say.
Bonus: Know Why You Want to Study Law — and Be Able to Say It
This may be the most important thing in this entire piece, and it is the one that candidates most frequently underestimate.
At some point in your interview, the panel will ask you some version of the question: “Why do you want to study law?” Or they may ask: “Why GIMPA specifically?” Or: “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” All of these questions are asking the same thing — they want to know your why.
Your answer to this question reveals more about you than almost anything else in the interview. It tells the panel whether you have a genuine, personal, and thought-through reason for pursuing a legal career, or whether you are simply applying because a law degree carries prestige or because someone told you it was a good idea. It tells them whether you have thought seriously about the kind of lawyer you want to be and the kind of contribution you want to make. It tells them whether you are ready.
Do not give a generic answer. “I have always been interested in justice” or “I want to help people” are not answers — they are placeholders that tell the panel nothing about you. Instead, tell your specific, personal, honest story. What happened in your life or your career that crystallised the decision? What kind of law do you want to practice, and why? What problem do you want to help solve? What injustice have you witnessed that you want to be equipped to address?
Your why, articulated with honesty and conviction, is the most powerful thing you can bring into that interview room. It is what the panel will remember when they sit down to make their decision.
Finally — and this is purely practical — bring multiple copies of all your important documents. Your first-degree certificate and transcript, your national identification, your GIMPA application materials, any professional certificates or references you have obtained, and any other documents that form part of your application package. Carry them in a clean, professional folder. Being organised communicates competence before you open your mouth.
A Final Word
Law is not simply a career. It is a calling — a commitment to reason, to justice, to the service of others through the discipline and rigour of legal thought. GIMPA’s Faculty of Law is a serious institution that produces serious lawyers. The interview panel is looking for serious candidates.
Walk into that room prepared. Walk in knowing your transcript, your news, your appearance, your questions, and your why. Walk in as someone who has already begun to think like the lawyer they intend to become.
If you have been shortlisted for the 2026 GIMPA Law School interview, share this piece with a colleague who needs it. And if you have questions or want to discuss your preparation, the comments section below is open.
Go and get your place. You have earned the right to be in that room. Now go and prove you belong there.
Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers is a lawyer and writer. He writes on law, legal practice, and public affairs at brakopowers.com.
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