The Chief Justice, KwasiAnin-Yeboah, has charged the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to institute continuous professional programmes for its members to keep them abreast with changes in law and procedures.
He noted that, currently some legal practitioners have avoided having continuous education after they were called to the Bar, saying that, such development impedes career development.
He therefore reminded the association of the need to develop the professional capacity and ethical responsibilities of its members.
The Chief Justice was speaking in Accra on Monday during the induction of the newly elected national executive committee of the GBA.
The committee has Yaw AcheampongBoafo as National President, KwesiAmoakoAdjei as National Vice President, Kwaku Gyau Baffour as National Secretary, Nana SerwaaAcheampong as National Treasurer and SaviourQuarcooKudze as National Public Relations Officer.
Chief Justice Anin-Yeboah said the association, which was critical in promoting respect for rights and freedoms, should be a formidable force in advancing the development of members.
The Office of the Chief Justice, he stated, was ready to engage with the Bar to identify areas including legal education that required enhancement.
He called on legal practitioners to help in safeguarding the rule of law and the peace in the country by ethically performing their activities.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfrey Yeboah Dame expressed concern about ethical challenges facing the profession and urged the new leadership to ensure members of the GBA maintain high standards to protect the image of the profession.
He called on the association to swiftly condemn illegal attacks and protect the integrity of the judiciary while urging the judiciary to assert it might by acting against persons who bring dishonour to the bench.
MrBoafo, on his part, expressed gratitude to his colleagues for the opportunity to lead the association and pledged to promote advocacy on social justice to build a just society.
He called on members to work together and promote cooperation for the good of the profession.
Under his tenure, he said the GBA would be unifying and run an open-door policy toward repositioning the association for the collective interests of members.
Mr Boafo called on government to adequately resource the judiciary and ensure improvement in the welfare of judges and magistrates to enable them deliver effectively and prevent corruption.
“We are not only recommending to government to recruit competent judges and magistrates but also motivate them highly to ensure fair justice delivery and prevent judicial corruption, especially at the lower bench,” he added.
Anthony Forson Jnr, immediate past president of GBA, urged the new executives to be patient and be considerate in their words and actions
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS AND JESSEL LARTEY THERSON-COFIE
