Sanaa:President of the Ghana Law Society and South Dayi MP, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has emphasized that it would be unfortunate for the newly established professional body to be perceived as an extension of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to Ghana Web, Dafeamekpor stated on Channel One TV that the Ghana Law Society is actively working to remove any perception of political alignment with the NDC. The society has recently received accreditation to license lawyers, and Dafeamekpor highlighted the importance of maintaining a nonpartisan stance.
One significant issue the Ghana Law Society aims to address is the difficulty newly qualified lawyers face with national service requirements. Dafeamekpor explained that individuals who enter law school directly after Senior High School may complete their legal training without fulfilling the national service requirement, which later becomes a problem when applying for roles such as circuit court judges, where a national service certificate is mandatory.
He noted that this issue has become more prevalent since the introduction of the system allowing direct entry from SHS to law school, resulting in a substantial number of lawyers encountering this problem. To address this, Dafeamekpor stated that the Law Society is working with the National Service Secretariat to establish a solution.
The proposal includes posting newly qualified lawyers to district assemblies, courts, and other public offices as part of their national service. Dafeamekpor also suggested linking the current pupillage system to national service, as pupillage usually lasts less than a year and does not meet the national service requirement. He proposed that pupillage should be integrated into the national service system, allowing lawyers to contribute to public institutions and benefit communities.