Law school is a constitutional right, not a privilege – Sosu responds to Attorney General

Member of the Madina constituency, lawyer Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu

• Madina MP opposes AG’s claim that legal education is not a right

• Godfred Yeboah Dame recently said legal education and practice is a privilege

• Xavier-Sosu and Rockson Defeamekpor started processes to change legal education laws

Member of Parliament pushing for the expansion of legal education in Ghana, Francis-Xavier Sosu, countered a statement by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Godfred Yeboah Dame for declaring legal education a privilege .

The GA speaking at the induction of the new cadres of the Ghana Bar Association noted that the opportunity to study and practice law has never been a right but a privilege that comes with ‘an obligation.

“Mr. President and new executives, you have a duty to make it understood that the practice of law is not a right, it is a privilege. This comes with a moral obligation and a legal duty to defend the dignity of the profession in order to ensure that the privileged call to the bar is not abused by unscrupulous and unsavory conduct, ”he advised.

But responding to the GA who again lamented the ethical standard in legal practice, the MP for Madina who is also a lawyer said studying law is a constitutionally guaranteed right for qualified Ghanaians.

“Law school is not a privilege, it is a constitutional right for any qualified Ghanaian. Articles 37 and 38 of our Constitution require the state to provide adequate educational facilities to guarantee equal access and opportunities for “lifelong education” without limits ”, a- he shared in a Twitter post spotted by GhanaWeb.

The MP’s comment follows renewed calls for an expansion of legal education in Ghana following the publication of the results of the 2021 Ghana School of Law entrance exams.

With accusations that the General Legal Council is deliberately working to limit admissions to Ghana Law School, Sosu and his fellow minority MP from South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, have started processes to make changes to the setup of Ghana. legal education in Ghana.

Among other things, MPs want a new bill that will result in the exclusion of the Chief Justice and Supreme Court justices from the body responsible for the management and regulation of legal education in the country brought before the parliament.

“Sir, we are writing to ask the Legislative Drafting Office to draft for later submission to the President a bill amending the Law on Legal Professions of 1960, Law 32, to exclude the Chief Justice as well as other GLC Supreme Court justices to redefine the functions of the GLC and provide for legal education reforms so that accredited law schools with the required facilities are allowed to conduct law courses professional, provide for the discipline of lawyers and related matters to give effect to Article 37, paragraph 1, of the 1992 constitution, ”the two men said in a recent note to the Clerk of Parliament.