Lawyers urged not to make unrealistic promises to clients
Speaking at the enrolment of 155 newly qualified lawyers to the Bar, he said the legal profession is not one in which practitioners should trade in guarantees.
The Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has warned newly enrolled lawyers against giving clients false hope or making promises about outcomes they cannot control, urging them instead to build their careers on honesty, discipline and professional integrity.
Speaking at the enrolment of 155 newly qualified lawyers to the Bar, he said the legal profession is not one in which practitioners should trade in guarantees, but one that demands careful judgment and truthfulness, even when the truth may be uncomfortable for clients.
He cautioned the new lawyers that misleading clients for convenience may offer temporary relief, but ultimately damages trust, undermines the profession and erodes the lawyer’s own character. In his view, the long-term cost of dishonesty is far greater than the discomfort of telling a difficult truth.
The ceremony, held in accordance with Section 7 of the Legal Profession Act, 1960, marked the formal admission of the 155 lawyers into practice.
It also served as the platform for a significant policy announcement. The Chief Justice declared an end to the long-standing distinction between the “main call” and the “mini call,” describing the dual system as an artificial divide that had no place in a unified profession.
He explained that going forward, lawyers would simply be enrolled either in October or March, and that the timing of a call should not create the impression of a higher or lower class of practitioners. Once called, he said, a lawyer is fully admitted to the Bar without qualification.
Paul Baffoe-Bonnie also linked the moment to broader reforms in legal education, pointing to the passage of the Legal Education Reform Bill, 2026, as a development that would expand access to legal training while preserving professional quality.
He said the new framework would help open more pathways into the profession without weakening standards, a balance that has long been at the centre of debate over legal education in Ghana.
Beyond policy, the Chief Justice urged the new lawyers to ground their professional lives in five core values: integrity, diligence, respect for the court, honesty and personal discipline.
He acknowledged that legal practice often demands sacrifice, patience and resilience, but said it remains a noble calling because it places lawyers at the heart of the struggle between power and vulnerability, right and wrong, order and disorder.
His overall message to the new entrants was clear: success at the Bar will depend not only on technical competence, but on the character they bring to the profession.
