Applying letters of law must end in what is just, fair, and conscionable – Justice Kulendi
He made those remarks on Thursday, at an interactive session with students at the GIMPA Faculty of Law.
Justice of Ghana’s Supreme Court, Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi has stated that in applying letters of the law, it should always end in an outcome that is just, fair, conscionable, and equitable. Otherwise would mean that the law has failed, he says.
“The law is not simply about letters in ink or papers and a set of facts and evidence, those matters add to a whole recipe of issues, in my view, must lead to a certain end. And that end always in my view, must always be one that is just, that is fair, that is conscionable, and that is equitable.
“So in my view if you apply the letters, and the phrases and evidence, and the facts, in any ways, no matter the sophistication you apply to it, and ultimately end up in an outcome that is unfair, that is unjust, that un conscionable, that is inequitable, then the law has failed.”
He made those remarks on Thursday, at an interactive session with students at the GIMPA Faculty of Law.
The event, titled “Conversation with a Judge,” is the first of a monthly series, where justices of the Superior Courts will share their experiences at both the Bar and on the Bench, as a way of motivating and encouraging law students.
When asked whether the legal profession is lucrative, that is to suggest whether lawyers make a lot of money, this is what he had to say.
“But you have something, if you do well as a lawyer, that is valued more than money. Which is that you have integrity, you have recognition, you earn yourself respect, and you stand tall among your peers when you walk into a meeting, community, and anywhere.
“And I can tell you when I was a lawyer, there were things I did, and because of the way the legal trade is, because there’s a recommended Bar scale of fees, I had the misfortune of those kinds of experiences, where I granted many bail briefs. But in a lot of those cases, I wasn’t paid, either because I didn’t ask for money or because I did it for other reasons, or because I generally don’t follow the money. I follow the work, and once I do the work, I’m a happy man. So you won’t miss the money too if you do it well.
