Parliament must speed Bill pushing for legal education reforms - Kwaku Azar

Private legal practitioner lawyer Kwaku Asare has thrown his weight behind the Private Member’s Bill that the MPs for South Dayi and Madina have presented before parliament demanding, an amendment of the Legal Education Act, which seeks reforms in the way the professional law courses are taught in the country.

Two Members of Parliament Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, MP South Dayi and Francis-Xavier Sosu, Madina; have submitted a Private Members' Bill for the consideration of Parliament requesting the removal of the Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court from the General Legal Council.

The two MPs are requesting a Legislative Drafting for subsequent submission to the Speaker, a Bill to amend the Legal Profession Act, 1960, Act 32, to exclude the CJ and apex court judges from the GLC.

The two MPs want the Bill to be amended to help redefine the functions of the GLC and to provide for reforms in legal education such as accredited faculties of law with the requisite facilities would be licensed to run professional law courses.

The Bill would also provide the discipline of lawyers and related matters to give effect to Article 37(1) of the 1992 Constitution.

Asare, himself a lawyer-cum accounting professor wants Parliament to fast-track the process and get it amended as soon as possible.

He wrote in a Facebook post: "The Dafeamekpor-Sosu bill is not asking for too much.

It is simply saying all LLB candidates should be given an opportunity to take a licensing exam. The LLB matters!

"It is also saying Universities are better equipped than a government school to educate the lawyers of the 21st century. Universities matter!

"Lastly, it is saying that Supreme Court justices should not be members of administrative bodies whose decisions can come before the Court or the lower courts that it supervises. Appearance matters!

"I wholeheartedly endorse the proposal and call for it to be fast-tracked on a bipartisan basis.

"But even before the bill goes through the legislative process, the AG can use his power to direct the GLC to allow select universities throughout the country to offer the PLC NOW to the 2,000 stranded LLB holders.

"The whole country wins when we allow people to pay for and get their education right here, rather than to go to Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, etc.

"November has started on a positive note.”