The Ghana Bar Association has released a press statement and has, predictably, endorsed the Chief Justice's directive that court cases should strictly be called according to the seniority of lawyers handling those cases.
Manasseh Azure Awuni hinted that in the fourth paragraph of the statement from the Ghana Bar Association, the GBA says it has taken note of comments from particularly "persons who are not known to the GBA to have been called to the bar in Ghana and therefore do not practice in the courts of Ghana."
Manasseh Azure charged that how difficult is it for the GBA and the lawyers supporting this retrogressive directive to understand that the court courts were not built for lawyers? They were built for people who have grievances to settle. Those people hire lawyers to represent them.
If I decide that a young lawyer should represent me on a matter, this directive affects me directly. The lawyer is there because of me. I may go to court at 9 am and have my case called at 2 pm if a string of senior lawyers walks in from time to time; and once they are seated, the Chief Justice says the cases or people they represent must be called mine just because my case is handled by a junior lawyer.
So one does not have to be a lawyer practicing in the courts of Ghana to be concerned about this.
The excuse that young lawyers must learn from their seniors is also flawed. They thrive in environments where meritocracy is rewarded and excellence is elevated above the “me baaha akye” syndrome.
Experience counts, but the major ingredients needed for career excellence are competence, character, and courage is not about being young or old in the profession. They come from our gifts and the inner motivation to excel. Bad
The undue delay in justice delivery in Ghana is a major headache that the Chief Justice should be concerned about. There are many reforms that need to be made in order to enhance justice delivery.
Enforcing traditions that won’t pass any science or analytical test is retrogressive. And that’s definitely not what Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah wants to be remembered for.
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