Don’t pursue law degrees for financial gain - Justice Dotse

A Supreme Court Judge, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, has entreated students not to look at economic and financial considerations as the overriding motivation to pursue law degrees.

Instead, he explained that the legal profession was a service to humanity whose core values were likened to religion, requiring of lawyers to pursue many probono cases in pursuit of justice for the less privileged in society.

Justice Dotse, who was speaking to the first batch of graduating students from the Faculty of Law at the Wisconsin International University College (WIUC) yesterday, stressed: “Do not only accept clients who can pay your high legal fees.”

While urging them to do a lot of probono cases when they eventually come out as practising lawyers, he told them that the legal profession demanded of them to exhibit a high level of professional etiquette to guarantee them a successful career.

Of the 70 students who graduated, 34 graduated with second class upper  and the remaining were placed in the second class lower division.

The Justice of the Supreme Court urged the graduates to live and practise the profession with devotion, discipline, integrity and hard work.

Vice chancellor’s report

Presenting his report at the congregation, the acting Vice Chancellor of the WIUC, Dr Carlos Arrow, said the aim of the university was to offer a range of educational choices to accommodate the needs of all categories of people.

On career and personal development, Dr Arrow stated that the school prided itself in combining skills and knowledge, noting that through internships, work placements and industry training, many of its graduates had the opportunity to develop the technical and soft skills needed in the world of work.

He further remarked that the university’s career services centre had cultivated and continued to cultivate relationships with human resource managers from various sectors to increase industry exposure and internship opportunities for its students.

Resist temptation

The Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Philip Ebow Bondzi-Simpson, who was the guest speaker, advised the graduates to resist tempting opportunities that might come their way in the course of their work.

“The sight of money can corrupt you but exercising self-discipline with ethical standards in your dealings must be your guiding principles,” he said.

Delivering a valedictory speech on behalf of her colleagues, the overall best law student, Miss Mildred Acheampong, expressed appreciation to the management of the university for imbibing in them the culture of hard work and discipline.

Writer’s email: sebastian.syme@graphic.com.gh