The Greater Accra Regional president of the Ghana Baw Association, (GBA) Mrs Efua Gharley, has called for the review of the legal education system to increase the number of professionals, without compromising on quality.
She said the current situation, where majority of students were denied admission to further the law profession, with little admitted into the bar following mass examination failure was worrying.
Mrs Ghartey said this at the launched of a book titled “Reading the law,” authored by Benjamin Tachie Antiedu yesterday in Accra.
The book catalogued various subjects and aspects of the law that are taught at the law school and what to expect in the study of law.
It also cited cases in law reports and how to answer law examination questions which are crucial skills that every law student must master.
Mrs Ghartey noted that the current lawyer to population ratio stood at 1 to 4,667, stressing that this called for the training of more lawyers to meet the increasing demand.
She said countries such as Ethiopia and Nigeria had put in mechanism to increase enrolment to the bar without compromising on quality, which Ghana must imitate.
“Time changes and we need to brace with the trend of the profession to ensure quality and accessibility.
We must constantly review our system and literatures to help us make decisions that meet modem trend of the law profession.” she said.
Mrs Ghartey, therefore, advocated an immediate stakeholders’ discussion to find a lasting solution adding “If not the system will gradually discourage the younger ones who have the desire to practice law.
“Enrolment should be increased to enable potential lawyers contribute towards the profession and their country. Mechanism that hinders enrolment should be reconsidered,” she said.
The Author, Mr Antiedu said the challenges confronting the legal educational system inspired him to write the book.
He noted that despite the challenges students goes through to acquire admission; education material to help in research was another challenge.
He described the book as one stop shop where students could find any topic and cases to help go through the training process.
“The book delivered in concise and precise language decipherable by all and sundry as well as elaborate discussion of the fundamental theories, principle and terminologies that undergird the study of law” he said.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
