Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah has directed trial court judges to strictly adhere to the age-long tradition of calling the cases of senior lawyers first.
The CJ issued the fatwa in a circular he issued to judges of the courts but the directive has since been met with anger from sections of the public.
The CJ in issuing his directive was concerned that the age-long practice is not being adhered to.
He insists obeying such a tradition affords junior lawyers the opportunity to learn from their seniors but failed to do an analysis of the effect of the practice on justice delivery.
Below is the circular:
To all trial court judges:
Observing age-old traditions of the BAR in calling cases in court
The Legal Profession, as we know, is steeped in traditions and ceremonies.
One of the traditions observed is the practice of calling cases of persons whose names are on the roll of Lawyers, in order of seniority of enrolment, notwithstanding the notion of equality at the Bar.
This practice, among other benefits, affords the young Lawyer the opportunity to learn from Seniors to whom they would not ordinarily be exposed to; thus, enriching the whole legal training experience beyond what is taught in Chambers and other places of work.
It has recently been drawn to my attention, that some Trial Court Judges are not observing this practice in court.
Whilst the right to call a case out of turn is not absolute and is exercisable subject to the convenience of the court, for the reasons mentioned above, I would request all Trial Court Judges to strictly adhere to this age-old tradition and resort to inviting applications from Seniors first.
I hope I can count on your cooperation.