Day 10 – Sam Okudzeto & Associates and the Volta River Authority

I spent Monday morning at the office of Sam Okudzeto & Associates and in the afternoon went to the head office of the Volta River Authority (VRA) to meet with a lawyer there.  This organisation is responsible for the huge amount of energy produced by the damming of the Volta River.  I was interested to hear about the diverse ways in which this responsibility is fulfilled: for example, the VRA has established a number of townships, complete with schools and social clubs, for its workers.  As can be imagined, the work of its legal department is diverse – but this seems to be a feature of the Ghanaian legal system more generally.  There isn't the same pressure to specialise here as there is at the UK bar. 

The lawyer I was meeting, Francis Yalley and his colleague – also a lawyer – Kwame, very kindly took me for lunch at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel.  We had a fascinating and very informative conversation about the VRA, Ghanaian law, and – slightly more off-piste – the Ashanti kingdom.  I asked what they considered to be the main problem facing the Ghanaian legal system and the unanimous answer was delay: I was told of one case on land law which has been going on for 22 years!  (Very Jarndyce v Jarndyce.)  They also mentioned the expense, which is exacerbated (for the successful party) by the fact that, unlike in England, the winner will usually only get a fraction of his/her costs.  

They were also keen to ask me questions about the law in the UK, including where the BPTC is taught, what legal aid is like, and what the purpose is of the Inns of Court.  I always find this last question difficult to answer, and in the end justified my uncertainty by pointing out that the Council of the Inns of Court is currently offering a prize for an essay on the question The Inns of Court, where next and why?.