Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has advised the new lawyers who have been called to Bar to seek and adhere to the highest ethical standards in their profession.
She stressed that lawyers have the responsibility to understand every tenet of the complex phenomenon called justice.
Chief Justice Torkornoo was speaking at the 60th enrolment ceremony in Accra on Friday where 1,097 persons were called to the bar out of which 575 are females.
In attendance at the event were President Nana Akufo-Addo, Supreme Court judges, lecturers, members of the diplomatic Corp.
She told the new lawyers which included her daughter that, “You have the responsibility to protect rights and compel the observance of obligations. A responsibility to contribute to the progress of a society grounded on the rule of law.”
She said the rule of law which could not be maintained without lawyers, is the bedrock of any just and equitable society, adding the rule of law provided a level playing field for every citizen.
Justice Torkornoo said justice was not only merely a concept, but a living reality carefully designed and well thought out by the society itself which must be administered by persons who understood every nuance and inflection of the demands of justice.
She said the legal profession therefore ought to be made up of persons who had not just studied the letter of the law but have imbibed the spirit behind legal order and had shown the presence of a moral compass that was able to not only direct themselves but able to direct the nation in its quest to ensure coherence, harmony, progress, and peace.
She said the profession was expected to be the bulwark against social chaos, adding the legal profession ought to provide a guarantee that every citizen would be protected in whatever lawful activity that they embarked on.
The Chief Justice said the fundamental freedoms and rights guaranteed and presented in the national Constitution are not self-executed, they required diligent professionals to properly interpret them and to safeguard them.
“As lawyers, you will need to be part of the conduit through which justice is sought and delivered in this complex environment. Remember that as lawyers, the greatest asset is their reputation.
“A tarnished reputation cannot only harm your individual career but also erode trust in the legal profession and the ability to move society on the trajectory of legalities.”
Lawyers who distinguished themselves in various subjects were awarded.
