New lawyers urged to make justice accessible to all

The success of legal education should be measured not by the number of lawyers produced but by the quality of professionals entering the legal system, the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has said.

He was speaking at a ceremony to admit 1,568 lawyers to the Bar on Friday.

Although describing the number of lawyers called to the Bar this year as unprecedented, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie urged the new entrants to use their legal knowledge to protect vulnerable people from abuse and exploitation.

He reminded them that their profession had a direct impact on people’s livelihoods and liberty and urged them to uphold the dignity of the legal profession at all times.

The Chief Justice also advised the lawyers to use the law to shape public policy for the benefit of society rather than for personal gain.

“The law does not give you influence so that you may become important. It gives you influence so that you may become useful,” he said.

He further urged them to make legal services accessible to people who could not afford expensive legal representation.

For his part, the Judicial Secretary, Musah Ahmed, said the call to the Bar marked the transition from legal education to professional practice.

He said the General Legal Council (GLC), under Section 7 of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), was mandated to convene formal meetings for the enrolment and call to the Bar of qualified applicants.

Mr Ahmed said the ceremony was not merely the culmination of an academic journey but also the beginning of a vocation that required diligence, sacrifice and the support of families.

He reminded the new lawyers that their admission to the profession came with the responsibility of upholding the rule of law.

“As you prepare to receive your certificates, you do not only do so as an individual who has met an exacting standard, but also as officers of the court,” he said.

Three Members of Parliament (MPs) of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) were among the lawyers called to the Bar.

They were the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and MP for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah; the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations and MP for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George; and the MP for Awutu Senya East, Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor.

Three broadcast journalists also joined the legal profession. They were Umaru Sanda Amadu of Channel One TV and Citi FM, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku of TV3, Media General, and Ayisha Ibrahim.

BY MALIK SULLEMANA

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