The Chief Justice, Justice Annin Yeboah has hinted that the General Legal Council (GLC) will revoke the accreditation of some institutions running the Bachelor of Law (LLB) programme as part of efforts to sanitise legal education in the country.
He said the institutions lacked the requisite faculties, infrastructure, lecturers and libraries to continue running the programme hence compelling the GLC to exercise powers conferred on it by act of parliament under act 32 to resort to the action.
“There is nothing punitive about this move, it is rather a precautionary measure to tackle any semblance of professional mediocrity from the root not from the branch,” he explained.
He indicated that the decision was taken after an inspection of some LLB faculties and the reports left disturbing impressions.
He made the revelation yesterday at the 2022 enrollment ceremony for new lawyers called to the bar.
In all, 846 qualified lawyers were called including a visually impaired male lawyer, Carruthers Tetteh who received a rapturous applause from attendants as he received his certificate.
The Chief Justice further admonished the lawyers to uphold the highest form of professional ethics and the values of service and justice as officers with such attributes were needed now more than ever.
“You cannot measure professional success in monetary and material terms only and allow the desire for wealth, power, position, and fame to blind you into throwing overboard the core values and skills that endanger true professionalism,” he intimated.
He entreated the lawyers who would enter private practice to spend time doing pro bono work to assist indigenes and the vulnerable to obtain justice.
“You will be doing the nation a wealth of good if you rendered public service to help the work done by the Attorney-General’s department and the Legal Aid Commission,” he said.
The Chief Justice further asked the new lawyers to resort to the Alternative Conflict Resolution (ADR) as a means of effectively resolving cases.
He added that this would reduce the backlog of cases, delay and acrimony encountered in the court process.
Bolsong Sabina Sabia, emerged as the overall best student in the professional law examination with Araba Bena Akyenba claiming the overall best award in the post-call law course.
Awards were also given to 10 others who excelled in subjects such as law of evidence, interpretation of deeds and statutes, Alternative dispute resolution and family law and practice.
