Celebrating the life of A.K Bannerman-Williams Snr; A pioneer of Ghana’s Legal Education
He was so passionate about matters that concerned the upliftment of the image of the legal profession in Ghana
Born in July 1927 at James Town in British Accra, Alfred Kingsley Bannerman-Williams Snr was among the first set of nine (9) law students to be enrolled as lawyers in Ghana on June 22, 1963.
He was so passionate about matters that concerned the upliftment of the image of the legal profession in Ghana and thus lived by these principles by scaling through as an executive member of the Greater Accra Regional Bar to becoming its president and, above all, becoming the longest-serving member of the Board of Legal Education.
Known in the immediate family circles as Owura Aku, Lawyer Bannerman-Williams Snr, who was a civil servant, resigned from the Labour Department, where he was based, to pursue a career in the law owing to his strong allure to become a lawyer.
Being led by this dint of passion and love, he made it through the over 600 applicants into the 97 candidates who gained admission into the Ghana School of Law in December 1958 and eventually a part of the pioneer nine(9) law students first enrolled as lawyers in Ghana which until his demise, was the only surviving member.
After being called to the bar, A.K. Bannerman-Williams Snr. was posted to Law Chambers, an Accra-based law firm, by B.J. Da Rocha, the then Director of the Ghana School of Law. He worked at the same chambers after pupillage for seven years before establishing his own chambers called Sackodar Chambers.
A.K. Bannerman-Williams Sr. conducted himself with great decency and candor and upheld a sense of integrity and ethical values throughout his years of active practice of the law.
Notwithstanding his busy schedules, he also availed himself of the service of the traditional matters of his folks at James Town, thereby being enstooled as the Afienaa Matse on November 27, 1993, and subsequently serving and becoming the Chairman of the Ngleshi Alata Traditional Stool Council.
A.K. Bannerman-Williams Sr. was an avid reader and a lover of Latin works. He was also well-read in Ancient Greek works of mythology and philosophy such as Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato.
He passed away at the age of 96 on August 6, 2023.
