Misconceptions about legal profession
“The legal profession has been thrown to the dogs such that any body at all wants to read and become a lawyer.”
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As humiliating as this may sound, this is one of the views a friend expressed when I made my intentions known to him that I will be reading law in the not-too-distant future as a second profession.
“Why don’t you focus on the journalism and throw the idea of the legal profession into the dustbin? In fact, it won’t help you,” another suggested.
Aside from my friends, a lot more are of the view that the legal profession is losing the premium placed on it years back compared to recent times.
The reasons given by such people vary from one person to the other. While some are not able to substantiate the reasons for their stance, others believe that the profession promotes the habit of lying.
This hostile perception towards the legal profession is rather unfortunate since it plays a very important role in the maintenance of law, order and justice in the society.
Could it also be that there may be some compelling reasons for people to hold such misconceptions about the profession?
The view that the legal profession may be breeding a generation of dishonest and insincere citizens is woefully unfounded.
The fact that arguments are made by lawyers in court over an issue on the face of the evidence provided by each party, do not make them liars.
In their bid to represent the interest of their clients, people perceive them as liars.
What such folks may not know and haven’t realised is that the profession is rather promoting the good of society through the various cases lawyers handle daily at the courts.
Mention can be made of the recent Alfred Agbesi Woyome case, where Martin A.B.K Amidu, Esq. applied for a review application at the Supreme Court over the payment of GH¢51.2 million to the former as judgement debt.
From the outset, Mr Amidu challenged the veracity of Mr Woyome’s claims over the payment, even as minister of state under the Mills’s administration.
This act caused his untimely dismissal on January 19, 2012 by the late President.
Through his efforts and resources as well as deep love for country, Mr Amidu single-handedly took the case to the Supreme Court, arguing that Mr Woyome did not deserve the payment.
Interestingly, judgement has been given to the state to retrieve the money from Mr Woyome.
Prior to this, the citizen vigilante had won another case for the state to retrieve 25 million euros from Waterville, a Woyome-related company.
Such feats by Mr Amidu are no mean achievements for himself and the country at large.
Mr A.B.K Amidu’s singular act is only one of the many great things lawyers are doing for the country.
It is, therefore, upsetting for people to create an erroneous impression about the legal profession, and regard it with contempt.
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Indeed, there is nothing wrong for one to express an opinion about an issue, and in this context, the legal profession, be it good or otherwise.
However, the rate at which certain individuals are running down the image of the learned profession, by the kind of negative views they express about it, should be a cause for concern and accorded the needed due attention.