Legal Education should encompass analysis, evaluation and research-CJ
By DL News
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She stressed that legal training should encompass interdisciplinary knowledge, such as project management and its relevance to contracts, as well as insights from fields like engineering and architecture.
Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has called for a more integrated and practical approach to legal education, enabling students to connect legal principles with real-world applications.
She stressed that legal training should encompass interdisciplinary knowledge, such as project management and its relevance to contracts, as well as insights from fields like engineering and architecture.
“Legal apprenticeship must commence almost as early as the learning of philosophies, doctrines, and principles.
Justice Torkornoo made these comments during a lecture titled “The Sustainability of Excellent Legal Education in Tertiary Education in Ghana: The Way Forward,” which she delivered as part of the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Faculty of Law at Central University.
Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo also expressed deep concern over the persistent difficulties in land acquisition and administration in Ghana, describing them as barriers to investment that negatively impact the country’s economic progress.
Speaking on the issue, she highlighted how protracted land disputes often hinder business operations, escalate costs, and discourage investments.
Justice Torkornoo emphasized the pivotal role of customary law in land ownership and management, particularly concerning family, clan, or stool lands.
She observed, however, that there is limited understanding of customary law’s implications and that legal education in Ghana does not sufficiently address this area.
The Chief Justice also pointed out weaknesses in the regulatory frameworks governing ethnic leadership and their management of communal assets.
She warned that the inadequate oversight of family and stool assets has contributed to instability in both the country’s security and its economic framework.
Justice Torkornoo proposed alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as a valuable tool for addressing land disputes and other conflicts.
She advocated for law faculties to incorporate ADR into their core curriculum to prepare future lawyers with skills in negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and related practices.
