Law with a soul: Reclaiming ethics in legal education

By Professor Kwasi DARTEY-BAAH
Vice-Chancellor, Central University

Beyond the current debates over access to the Ghana School of Law and the calls for legal reform, there lies a deeper issue that demands our national attention. The place of ethics in the training and practice of law. Ethics is, and must remain, the moral compass that sustains the credibility and nobility of the legal profession.

Legal education has never been just about mastering statutes or interpreting precedents. At its heart, it is about shaping conscience and forming character. The finest lawyers are not only sharp thinkers and persuasive advocates; they are men and women whose integrity gives meaning to their craft. When ethics fade, law loses its soul.

The journey toward ethical lawyering begins long before the call to the Bar. It begins in the classroom, in how students cite their sources, sit for their exams, and respect intellectual property. A student who cheats in an examination today may one day be tempted to tamper with evidence tomorrow.

Integrity is not a professional badge worn after graduation; it is a discipline we nurture every day.

The law may be written in ink, but justice is written on conscience. Without ethics, the law risks becoming a weapon for the powerful rather than a refuge for the weak. Lawyers are not merchants of argument; they are stewards of justice, entrusted with the hopes of those who seek fairness and truth.

Across Ghana today, ethical lapses from judicial scandals to breaches of client trust have weakened public confidence in the justice system. We must ask ourselves: are we raising lawyers who seek justice, or lawyers who seek power?

Reform in legal education must therefore go beyond access and infrastructure. It must address values, mentorship, and accountability. Ethics should not be treated as an optional topic; it must become the culture of the profession.

Ghana certainly needs more lawyers but more than that, we need lawyers of conscience. In a developing nation, lawyers are not just interpreters of the law; they are architects of progress, defenders of democracy, and protectors of the vulnerable. If we are to build a just and prosperous Ghana, we must place ethics at the very heart of legal education. When ethics thrive, justice flourishes and when justice flourishes, the nation prospers.

The post Law with a soul: Reclaiming ethics in legal education appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story