The Chief Justice has reiterated her stands on legal education in Ghana, JoyNews’ Maxwell Agbagba has reported.
According to Sophia Akuffo, it is better to have few qualified lawyers to many with compromised quality.
Speaking on the topic ‘Questing for Excellence’ at the 2019 University of Ghana Alumni Lectures, Justice Akuffo told the gathering “a good lawyer for each Ghanaian is what we deserve. Not lots of lawyers.
For emphasis, she added, “I will stand here again and say we need quality lawyers, not mass-produced lawyers.”
This was the third time ( in less than three months), the Chairman of the Ghana Legal Council, the body responsible for regulating the legal profession in the country, has expressed her convictions publicly on the vexed issue of legal education.
The first was at the Bench, Bar and Faculty Conference at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra on July 2019.
There, she told lawyers and lecturers “who are busy advocating free scale, mass admissions into the professional law course, and mass production of lawyers, (to) be careful what they wish for.”
According to her “so long as (she) has anything to do with it (legal education), it won’t happen.”
“Just like you can’t mass produce doctors and surgeons, Ghanaians must not have mass-produced lawyers imposed on them,” the Chief Justice added.
To further drive home this point, on Friday, October 4, 2019, at a ceremony to enrol newly qualified lawyers into the Bar, Madam Sophia Akuffo said although plans are far advanced for the commencement of the construction of a larger campus for the Ghana School of Law, it will not translate into mass admissions.
“Plans have been made for the creation of new and other campuses away from the hustle and bustle of central Accra for which land was acquired some years ago. The plan for the execution of this project is expected to be captured in the 2020 budget which is being prepared now.
“But, however much available space is increased, the GLC [General Legal Council] will never relent on its commitment to assure us of the production of quality lawyers through the observation of highest standards,” she told the gathering.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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Why can't the country train good lawyers then. So is the CJ saying the country cannot do this one too?
I always say yesteryear Ghana accepted intelligent and wise people into the law school because they believed a lawyer should be somebody who could defend somebody or give judgement even without learning law! King Solomon didn't go to any law school but was the best to give good judgement.Ghanaian lawyers before 1990 went to the law school according to their intelligence at home, parents could choose between their children who could be a lawyer hence Ghana got good lawyers, quality lawyers but today any ***barred word*** affiliated to a political party is going to read law not examining their intelligence and knowledge and after go into politics eg Sammy Gyamfi, Amaliba etc how intelligent can they convince a judge to win a case? a wise person can win millions by his side but a f00*00l will drive away the million you have! Amuzu,Keta Lady Akuffo was among the few lawyers in Ghana during the quality and value for money Ghana!We can't allow atiwiifuo to be lawyers and to circumvent our constitution! the constitution need kritical thinkers to interpret not dumb lawyers! you listen to some of them on arguments and you ask how they got there especially on issues about the country ! Instead of those failures sending their petition to the Chief Justice they chose to go to the Odwanfun I don't know if he can help them to pass !
Some of these lawyers can not draft simple agreements.
I schooled with a UCC law student who also wrote the entrance exams this year. She tells me before tjeir semester exams, the lecturers come and give them the areas they have set the questions. Also, if u want to pass law in UCC, all u need is passco and u are done. Even students can agitate sometimes after failing some papers and their dean can cause the results to be changed for them..the worst of it is that their valedictorian was once caught cheating and bcos of her, the whole class had to resit that particular paper. Personally I think law students are pampered. If u have failed, just write again. Regarding the fees for remarking at the law school proper, I think something must be done about it.
I agree with the Chief Justice. when you visit a law court and you hear how a lawyer is arguing his/her case, my friend you will feel sorry. Quality is better than quantity so, Madam, I am with you. It's because of the money they would get from desperate clients that is why they want to get into that profession.
Stop the f..ooling and allow the student to pass and graduate to become lawyer. If you were prevented will you have become Chief Justice?
The students must be ashamed of themselves. Have you heard students, medical students complaining of failures in exams? The students are just lazy and need to be serious and study hard. The system should be made to just allow people pass and go. This issue is very serious. Our policy makers should not compromise in making policies just to allow people to pass exams and go. You've been given course outline, you've been taught, you have access to internet etc, what at all do you need to pass your exams? Those students should be ashamed of coming out to complain. The failures are just the beginning signals that things are changing for the better. The Chief Justice should not compromise in making decisions just to easily permit students to just pass. We need good brains to develop the economy. Law is not the only profession so if you think you cannot pass it exams then you better assess your strength and find another option. We need to make good policies to enact better changes.
I really support the stance of the Chief Justice. We need good lawyers not just a mere lawyer. Ghana's problem is with the Judicially. Majority of our lawyers are dumb guys with ***barred word*** knowledge. The reason behind our lazy judges is as a result of poor lawyers who stoop in front of them in law court. The lawyers are the ones making our Judges lazy. The cannot make any reasonable submission so is about time the Chief Justice put an end this.