Course for non-law graduates soon

April 22, 2008 (Page 31)

THE Ghana School of Law will soon re-introduce a course for non-law graduates, which was scrapped some years back.
Launching the SRC Law Week celebrations of the Ghana School of Law in Accra yesterday, the Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, however, did not state the exact date for the re-introduction.
The theme for this year's law week celebration is "Fifty Years of Quality Professional Legal Education: The Changing Phase of Legal Practice".
Mrs Justice Wood said the General Legal Council had in the past made various decisions that included the introduction of the preliminary course for non-law graduates and the professional course for admittance to the Bar but the former was scrapped somewhere along the line.
She said the re-introduction of the course would further provide informed legal education to non-lawyers and for the good of the society.
Mrs Justice Wood appealed to lawyers to endeavour to provide free services to needy Ghanaians who seek their services.
"There is a lingering distrust among lay people about lawyers and the legal profession. One way of redeeming our image is by contributing to the public good," the Chief Justice advised.
Mrs Justice Wood said lawyers must be able to build a culture of public spiritedness.
"The legal profession has among its oldest fraternity great men and women, selfless and dedicated who have fought for and worked hard for the peace and stability of this nation at great cost to their lives," the Chief Justice said.
Mrs Justice Wood also urged the law students to use the training and education they had acquired to help build a just society.
She congratulated the law students on organising an outreach programme for the people of Akuapem South on the theme: "The rights of the child".
Touching on the poor infrastructure base of the Law School, she said it was unfortunate the school's infrastructure had not improved 50 years after its establishment.
She said the school had since 1958 produced more than 4000 lawyers and accordingly urged past students to assist in the development of the school.
Mrs Justice Wood urged past students of the school to position themselves to give back to their alma mater what it needed to plan for the future of the country.
She also appealed to the government and corporate bodies to go to the aid of the school.
The SRC President, Mr Dominic Otchere, urged the government to provide more infrastructure for the school.