Ghana’s Acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffour Bonnie, has urged newly qualified lawyers to treat the legal profession not as a means to personal enrichment, but as a sacred calling grounded in service, integrity, and justice.
He made the call at the 2025 Call to the Bar ceremony held at the Accra International Conference Centre, where 824 new lawyers were formally admitted to the Bar.
Addressing an audience that included members of the judiciary, senior lawyers, lecturers of the Ghana School of Law, family members, and friends of the graduates, Justice Baffour Bonnie described the moment as one of profound significance, both for the individuals being called and for the nation that relies on their service.
“There comes a time in a person’s life when the ordinary becomes sacred—when grace crowns discipline and perseverance blooms into purpose. Today marks one such moment”.
Acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffour Bonnie
The Acting Chief Justice congratulated the new lawyers for their perseverance through years of rigorous training, describing their journey as one of endurance and faith. “You have endured long, sleepless nights and wrestled with the high demands of the law, yet here you stand today, adorned not only in robes but in resilience,” he noted.
Justice Baffour Bonnie, who was presiding over the ceremony for the second time as Acting Chief Justice and Chairperson of the Judicial Council, emphasized that the legal profession demands much more than intellectual skill. It requires character, self-discipline, and a sense of duty to the public.
“The law is not merely a career. It is a calling akin to a secret trust,” he declared. Drawing inspiration from Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, he reminded the new entrants that the Ghana School of Law was established with a vision to produce lawyers who would be “servants of justice and not members of a privileged guild.”
He added that the law was meant to raise a generation of advocates who would “defend human dignity, empower the weak, and fight for the freedom of our people.”
Don’t Fall Prey to Moral and Ethical Compromises
The Acting Chief Justice cautioned the new lawyers against falling prey to moral and ethical compromises in their practice, warning that the temptation to “cut corners” or chase quick wealth has led many astray.
“The hunger to get rich quick may come, but remember that when every other actor fails the nation, the lawyer must be the one who stands upright to restore hope.” He reminded the lawyers that their robes were not symbols of prestige, but of responsibility to uphold the high standard of the noble profession..
“The robe you wear today and hereafter is not a symbol of privilege, but a garment of duty. You will now carry the hopes of the people who look to the law as their last refuge when all else fails them. Guard that trust with everything you hold dear”.
Acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffour Bonnie,
Justice Baffour Bonnie also underscored the lawyer’s role as the moral compass of society. He urged the new lawyers to remember that they represent the dreams of their families, the aspirations of their communities, and the faith of a nation that still believes in justice.
“Do not seek to become lawyers who only know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Instead, be lawyers who stand for the voiceless—the market woman, the shopkeepers at Goaso, the rice farmer at Afife, and the poor child from the Akuapem Mountains who is denied opportunity”.
Acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffour Bonnie
Serving Beyond Legal Text and Statutes
He emphasized that the essence of the law is not found solely in statutes or legal texts, but in the lives of those who believe in its transformative power. “The law lives not in books, statutes, or precedents, but in the hearts of those who believe in its power to make life better,” he stated, urging the young lawyers to let their practice reflect compassion, fairness, and humanity.
Justice Baffour Bonnie encouraged the newly called lawyers to allow humility, wisdom, and courage to guide their professional lives. “You have chosen a path that demands courage, but it is a path that leads to purpose and fulfilling greatness. May you serve with humility, may you speak with wisdom, and may you always act with courage,” he said.
In a lighter moment, the Acting Chief Justice revealed that he had deliberately shaved his iconic white beard to “identify with this new day” and symbolically share in the renewal represented by the young lawyers’ call to the Bar.
Concluding his address, he paid tribute to the parents, guardians, lecturers, and administrators who supported the newly called lawyers throughout their journey. “To the parents, proud guardians, lecturers, administrators, and regulators who have all joined with these young men and women, I say thank you. Your success is your triumph,” he said, drawing applause from the audience.
Justice Baffour Bonnie’s address was both inspiring and cautionary, reminding the fresh lawyers that while the path ahead would not always be easy, the nobility of the profession rests in its service to truth, justice, and the people. “Above all, let your integrity shine,” he concluded.
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