The Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, has emphasized the role of lawyers in the administration of justice.
He said the role of lawyers is critical and must be taken seriously, to serve the interest of their clients as well as the entice justice system.
Speaking at the 2021 Bar Conference held in the Upper East Regional capital of Bolgatanga, the Chief Justice charged members of the Ghana Bar Association to prioritize communication with their clients.
That, according to him, is fundamental to the administration of justice.
” One way lawyers may contribute to the efficient administration of justice is by ensuring better communication with clients. Lawyers must take the first step of explaining every step of the process, the possibility of success or failure, the expected legal challenges and obstacles and like to their clients to ensure that the client has a realistic view of the nature of his case. The lawyer must appreciate that simplifying the court processes makes the court more comprehensible and accessible to the client”
He said the complexity of the court system in Ghana which according to him can sometimes slow down the justice system must not be used by lawyers as an excuse to delay the proceeding of the court. According to him, all the complexities should be dumbed down to the level of the clients.
In doing so, the Chief Justice said the lawyers must be sincere with the clients.
“The lawyer must at each step of the process explain the proceedings to the client in a candid and realistic way”, he advised.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo, at the same event charged members of the Ghana Bar Association(GBA) to honour their tax obligation at all times as a commitment towards revenue mobilisation.
He noted that lawyers have a history of not paying their tax, a conduct the president wants leadership of the Association to help change.
This year’s conference is on the theme, ‘Ensuring an increase in revenue mobilization through taxation for the purpose of accelerated national development: The role of the lawyer’. It was selected to emphasise the importance of efficient taxation to nation-building.
A key highlight of the conference will be the election of new executives to run the affairs of the Bar at the National Level for the next three years. Five positions are to be contested but two of the positions (Public Relations Officer and National Secretary) have candidates who are going unopposed. The other positions are National President, National Vice President and National Treasurer.
For the position of National President, Yaw Boafo, the Outgoing National Secretary will contest against Efua Ghartey, the Greater Accra Regional President of the Association.
Meanwhile, some lawyers, some of whom are members of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has called on members at the association’s annual conference held in the Upper East Regional capital, Bolgatanga, to use the opportunity to “navigate a clean break from the Association’s recent history”.
By P.D Wedam|3news.com|Ghana