Internationally acclaimed lawyer, Ace Ankomah, has revealed that English and South African law firms are taking over a lot of work that should be done by Ghanaian law firms.
According to Ace Ankomah, the law firms in these countries take over legal transactions in Ghana, “draft their opinions and send it Ghanaian lawyers to edit and sign and then give the Ghanaian a measly $5000 while they bag about half a million dollars.”
He told Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show that this happens because Ghanaian law firms lack the capacity to service the Ghanaian clients who seek the services of these international firms.
“Nobody going to do business in England will come to a Ghanaian lawyer to do the legal work for them. The reason for this is that we haven’t built the capacity; we don’t have the firms that are large enough to be a one stop shop that will service the needs of some of these clients.”
He has also predicted that a lot of Ghanaian law firms will be taken over by international firms in the next few months.
“In the next few months, maximum a year, there are going to major consolidations where Ghanaian law firms will be swallowed up.”
Ace Ankomah was in the studio with Lawyer Korieh Duodu, both of whom are with the Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah law firm.
On his part, Korieh Duodu said Ghanaian law firms lacked continuity because they adopt the chamber system.
“In the chambers system, individuals work together but as self-employed individuals who work under the same roof. Here, the senior partner is the main driver whose absence, the juniors will not have the incentive to go on. The law firm is like a company where the partners share the risk. The law firm system allows people to work together and develop their expertise along various fields. In this way the firm will be stronger and there is continuity and succession planning.”
He therefore called on lawyers to adopt the law firm system to ensure continuity in their businesses.
Legal Business with Nigeria is easier than with Togo
Ace Ankomah also told Bernard that it is easier for a Ghanaian lawyer to do legal business with a Nigerian lawyer than it is with a Togolese lawyer.
“There is more legal business between a Ghana and Nigeria than there is between Ghana and Togo. I do not know a single Togolese lawyer but I know several Nigerian lawyers. The Francophone lawyers are closer to each other and the Anglophone lawyers to each other, not only in language but also in their shared legal systems. The only business between Ghana and Togo are Fanice and smoked fish. That is the unfortunate thing about Africa.”
This, he said was because of the way Africa was divided up, and that the different civil systems in these countries do not allow the lawyers to work together.
“Some firms have managed to combine the French civil war and the English law system. Some countries, like Mauritius, have managed to combine these systems and it is working for them. A dream to merge Ghana and Togo’s legal systems is a very far off dream. It is better to think Ghana-Nigeria.”
Bentsi-Enchill, Letsah & Ankomah at 25
Ace Ankomah is a partner of the Bentsi-Enchill & Ankomah law firm. The firm is 25 this year.
The celebration of the 25th anniversary will start with the commissioning of a new office building on the Momotse Avenue on Monday, September 7.
The firm will also showcase Ghanaian art throughout the week (September 8 – 11).
There will be an alumni night with the people who have passed through the firm also on Monday night, with a public lecture on Wednesday with Dr. Akilapka Sawyer at the British High Commission.
Bentsi-Enchill & Ankomah was set up by Kojo Benti Enchill in 1990 and Ace Ankomah was employed in 1992.
The firm had two partners and and three associates at time.
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By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana