The Ghana Law Society has proposed that all lawyers in the country provide at least 10 hours of free legal services each year to help improve access to justice.
The proposal was announced by the Society’s president, Rockson-Nelson Etse Dafeamekpor, at the Ghana Law Society’s first Annual Bar Conference on September 30.
“We are proposing a minimum of 10 hours annually for every lawyer to be able to provide pro bono legal services,” he said.
Dafeamekpor said a lack of affordable legal advice meant that disputes which could otherwise be settled quickly were often allowed to become more serious.
He identified tenancy disagreements, property disputes and issues involving basic agreements as examples of cases where early access to professional advice could help prevent escalation.
Under the proposed obligation, lawyers and law firms would be required to set aside part of their working time to assist people who could not afford legal representation.
The plan is part of a broader programme of reforms being developed by the Ghana Law Society to expand access to legal services beyond the country’s major cities.
Dafeamekpor said the legal profession needed to reconsider how it engaged with the wider public if changes to the justice system were to make a practical difference to ordinary Ghanaians.
