Insurance Expert turned legal luminary, Joseph Sefah Duah
People are driven and motivated in many ways to pursue a career in law but rarely does the desire to cover one’s baldness somewhat become a motivation.
For Joseph Sefah Duah, popularly known as Bomba, it may be a lesser driving factor. Nonetheless, the thought of covering his baldness in any way possible has always been alluring.
“I procured a wig to cover my baldness,” he said in jest in reference to the white wigs that lawyers wear on top of stark black robes as a symbol of authority.
Bomba’s attempt to introduce a note of levity to the pride in wearing the Barrister’s wig is an indication of his affable, confident, and self-driven personality.
When he suddenly leaned back and reclined his seat with his eyes brightened, he revealed his deeper thoughts and inner most desire and lust for the legal profession.
“Many people are suffering from various ill-treatments especially employees and they have nowhere to go or who to turn to. So for me, my desire is to help these people and be the voice for the voiceless in any way I possibly can,” he said.
Bomba was among a cohort of 1,092 newly qualified Barrister’s and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Ghana recently called to the Bar.
Prior to joining the prestigious Bar, he had cut his teeth in the insurance industry, working and holding Senior Management positions in various insurance companies from Quality Insurance Company(QIC) to KEK Insurance Brokers to Prudential Life Insurance. His last engagement as an insurer was with GLICO Life Insurance where he was the Chief Sales Officer, (General Manager).
These positions followed Bomba’s previous endeavours as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Cape Coast and a brief stint as a soldier in the British Army.
While he seemed accomplished in the insurance space, he felt there was a gap in his ambition. When he found Law, it dawned on him that that is what he had been yearning for all this while. And it was not difficult to know why the Legal profession is one involving duties and privileges.
“The privilege is a right of audience in the courts of Ghana and, in a more general way, of representing someone in court and being their voice,” he said. The duty “is nothing less than the duty to promote and uphold the rule of law. Although I have good academic qualifications and rich working experience, reading Law is the best decision I have made.
“I have been drained spiritually, emotionally, financially, and I even lost relationships, friends and opportunities. I broke down so many times but nobody believed me- a lot of people were looking up to me so I had no option than to keep moving.
“There were disappointments along the way, but I had very good friends who believed in me and supported and encouraged me.
“I slept on floors in people’s offices for months just to read. I slept on tables in my office and the security guards at my place of work were my friends and kept checking up on me in the nights. I am extremely grateful to my family for understanding me and offering me the time and the needed support to read Law.”
While the task of completing a professional law degree has been fulfilled, the bigger test lies ahead where he will be required to courageously represent and advance his client’s case in a courteous manner that falls within the bounds of the rules of ethics and the duty to the court.
And that is what Bomba is eagerly waiting to do as he completes his pupilage.
For now, he just wants to help people with his keen mind and dedication. With two(2) Masters degree in Population Studies from the University of Ghana and a Master in Business Administration (Marketing option) from the University of Ghana Business School, in addition to a Bachelor of Honors Degree in Social Sciences (Economics and Sociology) from the University of Cape Coast, Bachelor of Honors Degree in Law, as well as a Diploma in Insurance (CII-UK) and another Diploma in Insurance from the Ghana Insurance College, Bomba hopes to draw from his experience and education to be an invaluable asset not only to any firm he finds himself, but in advancing Ghana’s reputation as a leader in the legal sphere.
