Former Attorney General and head of chambers at Dame and Partners, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has urged newly called lawyers and members of the Law Students Network (LSN) to focus on understanding the law and its practice during their first three years, rather than prioritising financial gains.
Dame emphasised that practising law is different from studying it, and having completed their academic training, it is now crucial for them to refine their practical skills. He noted that those who quickly learn the techniques and processes of practice will solidify their careers and set themselves on the path to success.
He gave the new lawyers this advice on Friday, 7 November 2025, when he addressed attendees of the “2025 Learned Dinner,” at the White Restaurant, next to Soho, Airport, organised by Law Students Network (LSN), the Legal Directorate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and powered by Dame and Partners, a leading law firm in Accra, Ghana.
As Shakespeare said, we must be adversaries in law, but we must eat and drink as friends. Even when you do cases against each other and your colleague needs help, you must extend the help to him or her.” The object must be to sharpen your legal arsenal and to ensure that at any material time, we remain superior to our opponents.
Fidelity to the law
Gary Nimako Marfo, the Director of Legal Affairs for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a lawyer in private practice, addressed the newly enrolled lawyers with a few important messages. He urged them to prioritise their commitment to the law and to avoid placing politics above it.
Mr. Marfo also emphasised that the NPP legal directorate is prepared to provide the new lawyers with any assistance they may need as they develop their legal practice. He further highlighted that the NPP will depend on the collective knowledge and experience of these new lawyers as the party aims for a political comeback in the 2028 presidential and parliamentary elections.
“You have a lot to learn at the bar. I quite remember that one of my juniors joined about ten years ago. Every time he brought me processes, I kept cancelling them, and I did not tell him why I was cancelling his work.
“It took about seven years for me to say to him why I was always cancelling his work. Now, he has grown, and he is supervising others under him. Do not put money first at this early stage of your practice. Be guided by the ethics of the profession,” Gary Nimako Marfo remarked.
Available expertise
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, also a lawyer in private practice and former minister for works and housing in the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration, who graced the occasion, pointed out to the new lawyers that they have available to them a rich experience and an elite group of lawyers who have built prominent practices to learn from to develop their own practice.
He urged the budding lawyers to they advantage of the wealth of experience he has gained in his 9 years of practice, which has immensely paid off for him. He added that the new lawyers are in good company and if they avail themselves of the same, they will be amazed at what they will be able to achieve.
“There was a particular matter we were handling recently, and I was unsure of the approach to use, so I consulted with a senior and explained my plan to him. He said no, and he suggested the approach I should use. Something that a few seniors had attempted in the past and did not work, when we used the proposed approach, it just worked to perfection,” Oppong Nkrumah said.
Love the law
Kow Essuman, counsel to former President Akufo-Addo, who also graced the occasion, recounted his experience of being called to the bar after studying law in the UK and other countries. He said he had an endless love for the law and had discovered that the “thing about the law is that the more you do, the more you get better at it.
“We live in a developing country, which means that our legal systems, our democracy, the rule of law, and everything we are doing are actually setting a path for the future. Don’t say that you don’t have a path. Be very aware of what you are doing and be mindful of the fact that we are a developing country,” Mr Essuman posited.
About LSN
The LSN is an organisation for law students of Ghana interested in policy development, research, and community development. The Network’s aims and objectives include providing a platform for law students to undertake research and engage in discussions on legal, policy, and emerging issues related to social, political, and economic sectors in Ghana.
Foster a community of learning and intellectual exchange among law students interested in policy and socio-economic development; promote awareness and understanding of legal and policy matters within the broader community. Contribute to national development through research, policy advice, and advocacy; demand accountability from the national government, student leadership, and management of the legal education across the country, and promote excellence in academic work and students’ leadership.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
