From 19th to 23rd March, 2018 the Law Society of Lancaster University Ghana organised the 4th annual Law Week Celebration. The theme for this year’s celebration was ‘Equality in Society: The Role of Law’. The week was characterised by different activities, and was organised by the executives of the Law Society with support from the Law Faculty.
On the 19th of March 2018, the 2018 law week celebration kicked off with an opening ceremony chaired by Justice Anin-Yeboah, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. He gave a speech on the theme for the 2018 Law Week Celebration which was ‘Equality in Society; The Role of Law’, where he touched on how the Law is being used as an instrument to alleviate inequality in society and also acknowledged that society itself is the root of some of the inequalities we face.
The Law Students Senate was also established during the ceremony and four members of each year were sworn in as members of the first ever Senate to sit and take decisions on behalf of Law Students. It ended with a word from the Society’s Patron and ceremoniously cutting cake to signify the beginning of the week’s activities.
The next day the first year Law students embarked on a journey to see the Criminal Justice System in Ghana by going on a trip to Nsawam Prisons. The aim of this trip was to understand the system, get a more hands on learning experience of how crime is punished, see the state of the prisons and hear the prisoners’ stories. Back on campus, the second and third year law students attended a Legal Careers Seminar where Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, a justice of the Court of Appeal was invited to share her experiences as a lawyer and a judge. Justice Torkornoo spoke about how to manage your career, things she wish she knew while at University, etc.
On Wednesday the 21st of March, a Student Symposium was held where students presented papers on various topics of interest which would be published in the subsequent Law Journal. The symposium was chaired by the Deputy Provost, Mrs. Cynthia Forson. Below is the list of papers presented during the Symposium:
– Equality in Society: A Jurisprudential Analysis of Law and Equality in Ghana – Homachisom Leslie-Eke
– International Law and Peace: Promoting Sovereign Equality Amongst States – Amina Halilu
– The Case Against Sexual Assault: What is Consent? – Rodney Assan
– Jurisdiction and Cyberspace: The Liability of Multinational Companies for Breaching Laws of the Jurisdiction of Place of Business – Nimibiyo Awuletey
– A 21st Century Afropolitan Critique of Fiss’ ‘Against Settlement’ – Addobea Twum
– Equality in Society: How the Rule of Law Questions Gender-Biased Criminal Laws in Ghana – Christine Emejuru
After each presentation there was a question and answer session based on the paper presented. This event is the first of its kind, as usually at symposiums lecturers and researchers present papers for students to listen but at LUG it is the reverse, as students presented papers to fellow students, lecturers and the general public. The symposium enables the students to practise public speaking, and sharpen their presentation skills.
The much-anticipated Moot Court took place on 22nd March, and it was an interesting event which drew students in and outside the Law Faculty. The moot teams consisted of a mix of first and second years with three students on each team. Students dressed up as lawyers and there was a real lawyer who sat as the judge on the case. The case was framed around the issue of consent and what amounted to penetration in the case of a transgender person and a girl who did not give verbal consent, but her actions could have implied consent. Different students studying various courses posed as witnesses, and acted very convincingly. After deliberation, the judge ruled in favour of the Prosecution, and the accused were sentenced to jail. The lawyer who posed as the judge commended all the students who participated in the moot, especially the ‘lawyers’ who argued both sides of the case professionally and convincingly.
Law week officially ended with the annual Law Dinner which took place on 23rd March, 2018 at MJ Grand hotel in East Legon. It was a fun night of fashion and glitz as law students came out in their best to mingle, network and have fun. The 2nd edition of the Law Students’ Journal was launched and auctioned at the dinner with students and invited guests buying copies.
Click here to view the Law Week 2018 Photo Album.
