WARD-BREW vs. GHANA BAR ASSOCIATION (NO 1) [1992]DLHC860

Date	1992-03-27
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1992]DLHC860

ADJABENG JA

THE PLAINTIFF IN PERSON.

NANA AKUFO-ADDO FOR THE DEFENDANT-ASSOCIATION.

[1992]DLHC860
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">WARD-BREW<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; vs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B0F0">GHANA BAR ASSOCIATION (NO 1)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>[1993-94] 2 GLR 439<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:right;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">Date: 27 MARCH
1992<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>THE PLAINTIFF IN PERSON.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

NANA AKUFO-ADDO FOR THE DEFENDANT-ASSOCIATION. <o:p></o:p>

ADJABENG JA<o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT OF ADJABENG JA.<o:p></o:p>On 17 May 1991 the plaintiff issued a writ of summons against the
Ghana Bar Association as the first defendant, and the General Legal Council, as
the second defendant. The second defendant-council, however, successfully
applied later for the name of the council to be struck out as a defendant in
the action. The General Legal Council is therefore no longer a defendant in
this action even though before they went out, they had filed a statement of
defence. The only defendant presently in this action therefore is the Ghana Bar
Association.<o:p></o:p>In the indorsement on his writ of summons, the plaintiff claims
nine reliefs, the first six of which are in the form of declarations, while the
remaining three are in the form of orders. The plaintiff’s main complaint, it
seems to me, can be found in his first relief. In this, the plaintiff claims:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“A declaration that the Senior Advocate of Ghana (SAG) scheme as
presently constituted by the first defendant, the Ghana Bar Association, is
improper, illegal, unlawful and void as it is inconsistent with the spirit and
letter of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32) as amended, as well as the
subsidiary legislation made under it such as the Legal Profession (Professional
Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 1969 (LI 613).”<o:p></o:p>The events that provoked this action are the creation and
conferment by the defendant-association on some of its members of what it
termed the degree and status of Senior Advocate of Ghana (SAG). The said degree
and status were purported, to have been created by a resolution passed by members
of the defendant-association at one of its annual conferences. It is the
contention of the plaintiff, who is a private legal practitioner and a member
of the defendant-association, that this award, which is new in the legal
profession in this country, has no legal basis as it is not sanctioned by or
provided for in the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act, 32) or in any subsidiary
legislation made thereunder, such as the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct
and Etiquette) Rules, 1969 (LI 613). It is also the contention of the plaintiff
that the defendant-association has no authority, to institute such a degree and
status, and that if there should be a need for such an award in this country,
then it is the General Legal Council, the legal body charged with the
responsibility of seeing to the education or training, enrolment, control and
discipline of lawyers in the country which should be appropriate body to
institute it, and not the defendant-association.<o:p></o:p>Alternatively, the plaintiff contends that such an award can only
be instituted by a body established by law solely for the purpose. The
plaintiff thinks that that is what has been done in both Nigeria and England
where the analogous awards of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and queen’s
counsel respectively are conferred by bodies other than the bar associations of
those countries, especially established for the purpose.<o:p></o:p>As would be expected, the defendant-association disagrees with the
plaintiff. In paragraph (27) and (28) of the statement of defence filed on its
behalf, the following averments have been made:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“(27) Paragraph (55) is denied and the first defendant says
further that the institution of the SAG scheme by it is proper and within the
powers of the general council of the bar. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">(28) In general answer to the statement of claim, the first
defendant says it discloses no reasonable cause of action, it is a hopeless
piece of litigation and prior to or at the hearing of the suit will set down
for legal argument the capacity of the plaintiff to bring the action<o:p></o:p>