April 25, 2016 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
The Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, Justice Abdulai Cham, has reiterated his will to implement broad range reforms in the judiciary, which according to him includes a plan to construct a modern edifice for the Sierra Leone Law School.
Chief Justice Cham, himself a product of the Sierra Leone Law School, last Friday certified 42 new lawyers at the 2016 Call to the Bar ceremony, held at High Court No.1 in Freetown.
Chief Justice Cham reckoned that the certification ceremony might appear simple, but it is very significant to the new crop of lawyers as the ceremony marks their formal rite of passage to start their legal practice.
He told the new lawyers that numerous opportunities await them as lawyers, but admonished that they should serve as ambassadors of change and transform the justice sector and the country as a whole.
He informed the gathering that among the 42 graduates are 12 females who would also be certified as ‘fit and proper persons’ to practice as lawyers in Sierra Leone, as he urged parents to prioritise girl child education for the benefit of the nation.
He disclosed that the judiciary would be embarking on lots of reforms, including building a modern edifice for the Sierra Leone Law School, adding that the school has a challenge to admit everyone who applies to enter the Law School each year.
He said the Sierra Leone Law School used to be at Lamina Sankoh Street but they are now being housed at the former Special Court Building on Jomo Kenyatta Road, which is a larger accommodation, although the space is still not enough for the number of applicants.
Victoria Adama Koroma, the 2015 star pupil of the Sierra Leone Law School, noted that the journey had been pretty long and tough, but that it would always remain fresh as one of the memorable days in their lives.
She said the feat of becoming a lawyer is even a herculean task now and that admission into the Law Department of any university to study law would not guarantee one an automatic place as a lawyer.
“The rigours in the legal field are going tougher and tougher every day, but people are still zealous to study law more than ever before. Getting an offer to study at the Law School in Sierra Leone must never be mistaken to be a barrister’s certificate; you will never be sure that you are a lawyer until you have completed and excelled in the professional examination,” she said in her vote of thanks.
She added: “Many of our colleagues with whom we started this journey have been forced to quit the course with tears of frustration and heart break for not witnessing a great day like this. Being here this evening does not mean we are cleverer than them, for the Registrar of Law School once told me that Sierra Leone Law School is not for the intelligent students but for those who can work very hard,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, the five best students scooped undisclosed cash prizes from Freetown Law Firm, Michael & Michael.