Sierra Leone’s Chief Justice, the Hon. Justice Komba Kamanda and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay Esq. have ended a familiarization tour of the Sierra Leone Law School.
The visit according to the Director of the Law School, Dr. Abu Bakarr Bangura is to bring the Hon. Chief Justice and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice who both double as the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education and Titular Head of the Bar, respectively, up to speed with the operations of the School and the ongoing construction of an ultramodern Law School.
In a brief statement to students of the School, the Chief Justice disclosed that discussions are ongoing in respect of a number of reforms which will not only affect current students but also those coming after. He stressed on the need for students to be determined to work in alignment with the mission of the school which is to develop competent legal practitioners who appreciate their responsibility as members of an honourable profession, upholding high ethical standards, promoting social justice, strengthening the rule of law and always determined to pursue excellence. He urged them to always hold to high esteem their integrity which he referred to as the benchmark of the profession.
In his statement, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, said what remains central to the profession is raising standards for not only legal education but also the legal practice. He maintained that the problem is not with the number of lawyers but the lack of diversification in the profession especially in areas such as strategic litigation and alternative dispute resolution among others.
Referring to the class of 2004 as the golden generation of legal education in Sierra Leone, he disclosed that this class of lawyers pride themselves in having key stakeholders in the profession including the Chief Justice, Attorney General, the Solicitor General and Sitting Justices of the Superior Court of Judicature.
On the other hand, Dr Bangura disclosed that the proposed structure will have a capacity of over a thousand and will include a car park, and Auditorium, a hall, spacious lecture rooms, library and office spaces for workers among others. He said they will continue with robust fundraising efforts to ensure the completion of the structure within a reasonable time.
Also commenting on the structure, the Attorney General stressed that the vision resonates with the recently launched Justice Sector Reform Strategy aimed at transforming the justice sector.
