Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, the Supreme Court Justice nominee, Professor Nii Ashie Kotey, has cautioned that if much attention is not given to legal education in the law faculties and law schools, Ghana might end up having lawyers who do not know the law.
The former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Legon, indicated that the quality of legal education is gradually diminishing due to less attention and inadequate resources in the various institutions.
Prof. Ashie Kotey explained that some lawyers, who applied to offer their LLM program at the faculty of law at the University of Ghana, in an interview last year, could not tell the panel the requirements of a valid contract.
He added that some of the lawyers could not tell the panel, the definition of a lease, while some could not discuss a single case in constitutional law.
In explaining further Prof. Ashie Kotey indicated that some lawyers with law degrees had no idea about the 31st December case.
Prof. Kotey suggested that, if possible, all institutions offering legal education in the country, including the law faculty at University of Ghana, Legon, should be disaccredited and be allowed to reapply to the National Accreditation Board for proper scrutiny.
Prof. Kotey added that such action, if initiated, will help produce quality and qualified legal practitioners.
Source: GhanaJustice/S.Ayisi
