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There is no substitute for ethical conduct – panel of experts caution lawyers, students

Multiple experts have cautioned lawyers in African that there is no substitute to strict regard for ethical conduct in the practice of law

Multiple legal experts and industry players drawn from several countries all over the world have cautioned lawyers, other legal practitioners and students on the African continent that there is no substitute to strict adherence to ethical conduct in the practice of law.

The experts and speakers comprising partners of International Law Firms, government lawyers, Ghanaian judges as well as Law Professors and other Legal Professionals from within and outside Africa, made this known when they took turns to address the four (4) day 5th Annual Legal Ethics Training Programme organized by the African Centre on Law and Ethics (ACLE) of the GIMPA Faculty of Law.

Chief Justice of Ghana

The training programme which was held from the 15th to the 18th of September 2020, had the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana Justice Anin Yeboah, as the special Guest of Honour at the opening ceremony. In his address, the Chief Justice noted that in order for the sanctity of the legal profession to be preserved, the ethics of same cannot be compromised under any circumstances.

IBA President

President of the International Bar Association (IBA), Horacio Bernardes Neto, who participated in the opening ceremony of the webinar from his base in Brazil noted that the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has brought to bear the urgent need for lawyers to add to their body of knowledge, technological know-how. He indicated that the changing state of affairs in the world of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), requires that new and upcoming lawyers educate themselves with new technology trends.

“I think that young lawyers must understand that they don’t only have to be different and read wide, but they have to be technologically savvy, they have to absorb technology” Horacio Bernardes Neto said.

Legal Ethics Training Programme

The Legal Ethics Training Programme is the flagship programme of the African Centre on Law and Ethics (ACLE), located at the Faculty of Law of the Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra, Ghana. It is an intensive four-day course which aims to acquaint law students and young lawyers in the early years of legal practice with the main principles and rules governing professional legal practice.

The Legal Ethics Training Programme has been held was previously held in Ghana in 2016, 2017 & 2018, and was held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2019. This year therefore marks the 5th consecutive year that the programme was held. To commemorate this milestone, and in view of the COVID-19 pandemic which has made ordinary air travel impossible, the ACLE organized a Virtual Edition of the Annual Legal Ethics Training Programme, focusing on Comparative African Legal Ethics.

Sessions and Topics

Day one of the virtual training saw the first session tackling the topic, “An Introduction to Professional Responsibility and Ethics”. Speakers for the session included His Lordship Justice Nene Amegatcher, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Dr. Rebecca Badejogbin, Director (Academics), Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Law School, Dr. Paul Omondi Ogendi, Lecturer, University of Nairobi School of Law and Ms. Jennifer Paradise, General Counsel, White & Case LLP, New York, USA.

Session Two of day one focused on “Professional Independence: Relationships between Lawyers and Others & Judicial Ethics”. Speakers for this session included; Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Ms. Jennifer Paradise, General Counsel, White & Case LLP, New York, USA, Ms. Anne O’Donoghue, Member, Professional Ethics Committee Advisory Board, International Bar Association (IBA) & Director, Immigration Solution Lawyers (ISL), Australia.

Day two of the training had the first session addressing the topic, “Knowing and Engaging Clients: The Duty of Confidentiality and the Right of Professional Secrecy”. Speakers for this topic included; Mrs. Sheila Minkah-Premo, Managing Consultant, Apex Law Consult, Ghana, His Lordship Justice Nene Amegatcher, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Dr. Paul Omondi Ogendi, Lecturer, University of Nairobi School of Law and Dr. Rebecca Badejogbin, Director (Academics), Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Law School

Session two of day two focused on “Avoidance of Conflicts of Interest” and the speakers were Dr. Rebecca Badejogbin, Director (Academics), Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Law School, Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Dr. Paul Omondi Ogendi, Lecturer, University of Nairobi School of Law and Mr. Martin Kovnats, Former Chair, Professional Ethics Committee, International Bar Association (IBA), North American Regional Forum (Ethical and Professional Issues officer), International Bar Association (IBA); and Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP, Canada.

Day three (3) looked at “In-House Counsel Perspectives of Legal & Business Ethics and Managing Risks”. The Speakers included Mrs. Deborah Mawuse Agyemfra, Deputy Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ms. Jennifer Paradise, General Counsel, White & Case LLP, New York, United States of America.

The second session of day three dealt with the topic “Introduction to the International Bar Association (IBA) and the International Code of Ethics”. The Speakers were, Ms. Alessandra Nascimento Silva e Figueiredo Mourão, Co-Chair, Professional Ethics Committee, International Bar Association (IBA); Founding Partner, Nascimento e Mourão-Sociedade de Advogados, Brazil; and Professor of Negotiation, Fundação Getúlio Vargas Law School (FGV-SP), Brazil, Mr. Jeffrey Merk, Co-Chair, Professional Ethics Committee, International Bar Association (IBA); and Co-Practice Group Leader, Capital Markets Group, Aird & Berlis LLP, Canada, Ms. Akua Mirekua Nimako-Boateng, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Professional Ethics Committee, International Bar Association (IBA); and Legal Officer, Office of the Legal Counsel, University of Ghana and Mr. Carlos Valls, Former Senior Co-Chair, Professional Ethics Committee, International Bar Association (BA) and Lawyer based in Barcelona, Spain, specializing in Intellectual Property Disputes.

The last day of the training looked closely at “Corporate Social Responsibility, Business and Human Rights”. Speakers for this session were; Mr. Michael Addo, Director, Notre Dame London Law Program & Former Member of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and Mr. Claudio Undurraga, Vice-Chair, Professional Ethics Committee, International Bar Association (IBA); and Founding Partner, Prieto, Chile.

The ACLE

The African Centre on Law and Ethics (ACLE) at the GIMPA Faculty of Law is a research, scholarship and training centre, formally established in July 2017, to facilitate the growing commitment to law and ethics on the African Continent.

The ACLE was primarily borne of the success of the Legal Ethics Training Programme in 2016. The aim of the ACLE includes the provision of tailored Law and Ethics training for African Law students, Lawyers, Judges and other Legal professionals, as well as to undertake interdisciplinary and comparative research on the accepted standards of practice for Lawyers, Judges and other Legal professionals.

 

Wilberforce Asare / Asaase Radio

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