Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has questioned the Ghana Bar Association’s involvement in the ongoing dispute over lawyers’ availability during the legal vacation, arguing that the association is intervening in a matter that does not fall within its mandate.
His criticism follows a petition the GBA submitted to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie on Monday, August 10, expressing concern over directives requiring lawyers to appear before Vacation Courts despite having indicated that they would be unavailable during the legal break.
Speaking in an interview with Joy News on Tuesday, August 11, Mr Dafeamekpor argued that the GBA is an association of individual lawyers and does not represent law firms, which he said were the entities that reportedly submitted the complaints.
“The GBA has no business in this matter because the law firms are not members of the Ghana Bar Association,” he said.
According to the South Dayi MP, law firms and chambers are licensed separately by the General Legal Council (GLC) and should pursue any grievances through the appropriate legal and regulatory channels.
He maintained that if the petitions originated from law firms, the GBA should have directed them to the proper forum rather than taking up the matter itself.
Vacation court controversy
The legal vacation is traditionally a period during which court activities are scaled down, allowing judges and lawyers to take scheduled breaks.
However, selected judges may continue hearing certain matters during the period, particularly where arrangements have been made for substantive proceedings to continue.
The GBA’s petition reportedly focused on situations where law firms had notified the relevant authorities of their unavailability during the vacation but were subsequently required to make lawyers available for court proceedings.
The dispute has sparked broader debate within the legal community over the management of Vacation Courts and the balance between the efficient administration of justice and the professional commitments of lawyers during the legal vacation.
