The Chief Justice of Ghana, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, says about 70% of cases that are thrown out of the court or are not successful in court is due to bad lawyering.
She says the legal profession is granular in nature, and it demands a high level of diligence, competence, and integrity.
According to her, failure on the part of lawyers to follow rules of procedure and present the right weight of evidence and cause of action has deprived many clients justice.
She said that diligence and competence are the beginning points of good ethical conduct.
Speaking at the 7th annual legal ethics training programme organised by the African Centre on Law and Ethics at the GIMPA Faculty of Law, Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkornoo said, failure on the part of lawyers to comply with ethical conduct has left many families lose their propertie, business and entire livelihoods while nations have also lost great assets due to bad lawyering.
She admonished law students and lawyers to be ethical in order to advance the justice delivery system.
The Chief Justice opined that legal ethics is a shared responsibility, placing duties on lawyers, judges, court registrars, bailiffs, parliament, and the executive arm of government.
She said law is the fulcrum of human existence and regulates every aspect of society, indicating that justice emanates from the people.
She charged lawyers to be diligent and follow procedures rather than jumping from a media house to the other anytime they lose cases due to their own incompetence and luck of diligence.
Dean of the GIMPA Faculty of Law Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Budu added that the GIMPA Faculty of Law is introducing a course in Law and Ethics effective next academic year to imbibe ethical behaviour in law students.
The Legal Ethics Training Programme is aimed to introduce law students to the fundamental principles and rules governing professional legal and judicial practice.
“During this program, students go into topics that are vital for their future careers, including a practical introduction to the Code of Ethics of the Ghana Bar Association and other jurisdictions, the International Bar Association’s International Code of Ethics, and a comparative examination of legal ethics regulation and enforcement in Ghana and other African countries,” he said.
He said the Africa Centre for Law and Ethics aims to provide a platform for a comparative perspective on acceptable standards of practice for lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals across the African continent.