Odupong becomes first SRC President of Ghana School of Law to pay courtesy call on GBA

The 2022/2023 executives of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law (GSL) have become the first year group in the history of the Council to officially visit the Ghana Bar Association(GBA).

The historic visit, which came off on January 25, 2023, was to among others, introduce the new executives to the executive body of the GBA, after they took office in November 2022.

The president of the SRC of the Ghana School of Law, Mr. Odupong Agyapong Atta-Agyapong, who led his team, said in his remarks that one of the key objectives of the SRC GSL under the SRC Constitution, is to maintain a relationship with the GBA and other members of the legal fraternity in Ghana and abroad.

“In the absence of any known proof that this important objective has been realized in the past, the new SRC Executives took the initiative to break that virginity, to clear the  way for the beginning of a new and enhanced relationship between the SRC of GSL and the GBA,” he noted.

The relationship between the two institutions, he said, is important because members of the SRC who are called to the Bar would also be enrolled as members of the GBA, which for him, is important for the relationship to be strengthened now.

“With strengthened collaboration, our members will have much to gain ahead of their call to the Bar which is why we are here," he further noted.

Mr Odupong also used the occasion to seek the counsel of the leadership of the Bar on matters that concern the students of Ghana School of Law and urged the body to use its influence to ensure that these are done on time especially when they consider the GBA as their immediate mother institution from which inspirations should be taken.

He also asked for counsel on how the remarking timelines could be reviewed. He further inquired if in their opinion it wasn’t time for the Repeat System in Legal Profession (Professional and Post Call Law Course) (Amendment) Regulation 2020 to be reviewed.

Welcoming the SRC executives, the President of the GBA Mr. Yaw Acheampong Boafo described the meeting as the first of its kind and an opening for more dialogue and capacity building for the students ahead of their call to the Bar.

To him, the leadership of the GBA will ensure that the relationship will be maintained.

In praise of the initiative, he said Mr. Odupong will go down in history as the first SRC President of the Ghana School of Law to pay a courtesy call on the executive body of the Ghana Bar Association.

“In the history of our association and per our records, this is the first time we are receiving the leadership of the students’ body of the Ghana School of Law,” he stressed.

Responding to the issue of remarking, the elated Mr Boafo asked the students to bear with the delay because unlike before, he understands that the number of students who are seeking remarking has increased and therefore require much more time to service justice to the students.

He assured the students that while the GBA examination at the Law School is independently conducted, the GBA will leverage on its influence to ensure that students who seek remedy through remarking are fairly treated.

Mr Boafo also used the occasion to clear the often held misconception in the public and sometimes among students that neither the GBA, the General Legal Council, nor any other institution has interest in frustrating students from entering the Law School or the Bar.

He recounted that last year, over 840 new members from the school were called to the Bar, a trend he added, is likely to follow, given the number of students currently in Part Two at the Law School.

“If we had interest to frustrate the process, we will be serving no good course because we also have our children in the Law School. Indeed, some children of senior members of the Bar have failed entrance exams attempts," he pointed out.  

He called on students to take their studies seriously and open up for more collaborations between the GBA and the SRC.

Other personalities who were present to welcome the students were, Mr. Anthony Forson, the former President of the GBA; the Greater Accra GBA President, Mr. Agbesi Dzakpasu; and the GBA Secretary, Mr. Kwaku Gyau Baffour, and his Assistant, Yaa Gyakobo.

Also present were Vice President, Kwasi Amoako Adjei; the Public Relations officer, Saviour Q. Kudze; Assistant Public Relation Officer, Lawrencia Adika; and the Treasurer, Nana Serwaa Acheampong.

On the part of SRC executives were the Vice President of the UPSA CAMPUS, Stacey Freduah Sefa; her colleague vice president from the Greenhill Campus, Jamila Isa Munkaila; the Vice President of the Legon Campus, Darlington Osei Dwamena; and Francis Kwaku Fofie of the Kumasi Campus.

The rest were the  General Secretary, Benjamina Bernice Amihere; Organizing Secretary, Conrad Whittal; and the Treasurer, Albert A. Anamogsi.



Mr. Odupong Agyapong Atta-Agyapong (SRC President, Left) in a handshake with Mr Yaw Acheampong Boafo (GBA President, right) after the meeting