Lawyers must protect citizens’ rights - Speaker Alban Bagbin laments

The speaker of Ghana parliament Alban Bagbin has urged Lawyers in the country to recommit themselves to their duties of promoting the rule of law and protecting citizens’ rigts.

Alban Bagbin made known to participants during the 2026 annual law conference in Accra on september 30th .

The current speaker of parliament noted the increasing changes in the nature of law officers’ responsibilities and advised that they should not relent in their commitment to the tasks ahead.

Present at the event included the Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine and a representative from the Chief Justice’s Office.

The 2026 conference theme: “Legal reforms — the place of the Ghanaian lawyer,” brought together members of the legal profession, the Judiciary, Parliament, government and other stakeholders.

Bagbin made mention that ans said

"Our collective mission is to maintain low and order, protect the rights of citizens, and promote a just society, which is both noble and challenging.

“In today’s rapidly evolving world, we face new and complex legal issues that require our utmost attention and expertise.

He described the lawyer as an “architect of the Republic”, saying lawyers had a responsibility to examine not only what the law was but also what it ought to become.

Mr Bagbin said the country was engaged in constitutional and institutional reforms and that the legal profession had a responsibility to contribute to the process.

urge law officers in the country to remain steadfast in upholding the principles of integrity, fairness, and impartiality, as legal professionals.

Debrah added: “”Our challenges are enormous, but we must unite and work as a team to achieve our goal. Together, we will strengthen the rule of law and foster a just society for generations to come.

He said the government had embarked on a number of reforms, including the Legal Education Act, 2026, the Community Service Act, 2026, the Tribunal Act, 2026, and the constitutional review process.

On his part the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, said the success of the country’s legal reform agenda would depend partly on the role lawyers chose to play in the process.

He said

As lawyers, we are not merely practitioners of law,” he told the conference. “We are custodians of justice, defenders of constitutionalism, and important participants in the development of our societies.”

Ayine made an urgent case for deeper cooperation among legal practitioners and institutions, arguing that the challenges confronting the country cannot be addressed by any single nlawyer acting alone.

He called for the strengthening of mutual legal assistance frameworks, mechanisms, and

called for professional independence, saying lawyers’ associations needed to maintain their independence from political parties and the State.

He said the legal profession should be able to speak on the state of the law and the courts without being seen as speaking for a political interest

The official launch of the GLS also follows its establishment as a new association within the country’s legal profession.

The President of the GLS, Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, said one of the major challenges confronting the legal profession was the concentration of lawyers in a few urban centres.

As part of measures to address the situation, he announced a proposed 12-month structured national service programme for newly qualified lawyers, under a partnership between the GLS and the National Service Secretariat.

Under the proposal, fresh lawyers would be posted to district assemblies, Legal Aid offices, CHRAJ offices, the Judicial Service, Lands

Commission offices and regional offices of the Attorney-General to provide legal services and support justice delivery.

Dafeamekpor said the GLS would pursue reforms in legal education, national service for newly qualified lawyers, mandatory pro bono work, digitisation, specialisation, professional welfare and legal scholarship.