One of the advocates Nii Adowei Cudjoe, in a Facebook post Wednesday, expressed cautious optimism that Justice Anin-Yeboah will be more sympathetic to their cause.
He revealed the nominee’s daughter was also victimised by a system whose critics say, is designed to frustrate ambitions of law students.
Theghanareport.com understands she was denied admission to the Ghana School of Law, at Makola, after sitting the 2017/2018 entrance examination which Nii Adkwei Cudjoe described as a “lottery.”
Justice Anin-Yeboah’s daughter had to seek opportunities abroad and gained admission to the Gambia Law School. The Gambia and Ghana, are both former colonies of the British empire and were bequeathed with a similar system of legal education.
Justice Anin-Yeboah pending his approval by Parliament is expected to take over from the retiring Justice Sophia Akuffo who was embroiled in a bitter tussle with LLB candidates.
“Any attempt to allow the production of lawyers without efficient control, checks and balances will be rejected irrespective of who is advocating it,” she said.
Not long after, the General Legal Council released results showing only 128 had qualified for the bar in an examination written by 1820 LLB candidates in 2019.
It sparked another uproar from students and lecturers frustrated by the constant mass failures. They say the current system is outdated and needs an overhaul.
Only the Ghana School of Law is responsible for the professional training of lawyers and only the University of Ghana offered a Bachelor of Law degree program in Ghana until 2003.
There are now 14 institutions that offer LLB programs. It has created a huge backlog of students trying to enter the Ghana School of Law. A competitive entrance examination introduced in 2012 was challenged in the Supreme Court.
A new bill wants to among other things, assign quotas to the 14 LLB institutions. But it has been heavily criticised by the movement, to #OpenUpLegalEducation.
They organised a demonstration in October 2019. But it turned violent as police brutalised some protesting students.
Some LLB candidates who spoke to theghanareport.com say they favour Justice Anin Yeboah’s nomination. He lectures part-time at the Ghana School of Law.
Justice Yeboah teaches Constitutional Principles and Legal Systems. He is said to have treated his students humanely.
“We have the feeling that he is part of that clique” one of the campaigners for reform told theghanareport.com on condition of anonymity.
They do not hold the same view on Justice Dotse, who was also up for nomination as Chief Justice and, who reportedly described the push for legal reforms as ‘populist’.
With Justice Anin Yeboah set for vetting at the Appointments Committee, his stance on legal education is expected to be keenly scrutinized. Read Full Story
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