I was admitted into the Ghana School of Law, Main Campus, Accra, in 2017. It was a nice and memorable feeling. A feeling that is very difficult to describe. The feeling was deep and simply mind-blowing.
This feeling stemmed from the fact that I was part of the five hundred students that got admission from among the over two thousand students shortlisted to write an entrance exam into the Ghana School of Law that year
The prestige and privilege associated with gaining admission to the Ghana School of Law was awesome. It was particularly more profound to me, taking into consideration my under- privileged background and upbringing.
Despite the setbacks growing up, I had always desired to be a Lawyer and a Musician.
The aura around
Everyone around seems to admire you when you are a student of the Ghana School of Law. You feel like a celebrity, a star from Hollywood. People see you as an intelligent fellow.
Even some of the lecturers would look admiringly at your faces. Some actually express this in various forms. For example ….”Wow!! So you are the lucky ones who made it…….” I guess they admire you so because of your ability to go through the very competitive Entrance Examination and Interview which used not to be the case some few years back.
Personally, I would climb up the storey building towards the Study Room and look at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court buildings opposite the school, and would go like: “wow, Fee, is it me? Am I dreaming or it’s a reality?”
I would take pictures around and send to family and friends and use some as my DP on WhatsApp. This sense of pride and achievement would even be more profound outside the school arena.
Relatives and friends simply adore you and wish they were like you. They are proud of you. Your daily walk to school was just a dream come true.
First day in class
The dominant colour in class was black and white. A sign of serious mindedness! In my case, the first day I entered the lecture room, I did not like it so much. As though we were in a Funeral House! Everywhere was dark, interlaced with white coloration.
I had some solace from the fact that the colour white was my favourite and that with time I would begin to like the dominant black colour as well.
Naturally, I always liked to sit in the frontline of any class that I was part of as a student; Ghana School of Law was no exception. The first lecturer that came in was one Mr. William Kpobi, a Chief State Attorney. He was to teach Criminal Procedure.
The first thing that proceeded from his mouth was “what is your name?” Staring straight at me. I mentioned my name and as if by dint of luck or good omen, all the lecturers that came in subsequently would ask what my name was. This would make my name very popular in class soon.
Matters became ‘worst’ when Justice Marful- Sau, Justice of the Supreme Court (who sadly passed on in early August, 2021) , also asked of my name and since then decided to use my name and that of a female colleague sitting close to me as names for explaining scenarios in legal principles. I will tell you more about this female colleague later.
At this time, our names were the most popular names in class. Partly also because of the unusual way the learned Justice pronounced my name: FIDAAAL instead of FIDEL. It amused the class but also stirred up an iota of envy among some few colleagues. Naturally so, I guess.
Apart from just sitting in the front line, I naturally liked to ask questions. Asking questions was my strategy for learning. It made me remember events even after years have gone by. I usually do not like to do ‘’dii baba” (aka chew and pour)’. I want to understand the concepts and then personalize them or if you like own the information. I will tell you about this later.
Multi-talented
Notwithstanding the above, the class soon discovered that I was a multi-talented person as postulated by my very good self through my word, deeds or acts. This made me the more popular in class.
The following were the supposed talents I claimed to have: In very humble terms, I was not bad academically. At least the fact that I made it one- time in my entrance exam to ‘Makola’ (Ghana School of Law, Accra, Main Campus) confirmed that on the average, I was not bad academically. I will tell you more about my academics later.
I answered questions to the admiration of lecturers and some students. I asked very intelligent questions that elicited answers that aided the understanding of concepts of the law. Not only was this beneficial to me but also to most students in class.
Some students would walk up to me after class to thank me for asking a question or the other which cleared the confusion in their minds. All confusions in my mind too were cleared as well. Take note, this my approach would be under attack soon.
Still on my supposed multi-talented nature, it could not be over-emphasized that I did presentations in class that earned me resounding applause from my colleagues and lecturers. On one such occasion, I did a presentation; the lecturer was so impressed that she said I should let the class rep (representative) put it on the class page for the consumption of all and sundry.
This was no news, but the following week, the lecturer came to class and asked the class rep if he had sent my presentation to the class. I felt humbly proud at this time.
The other aspect of my talents was that I was a recording artiste/singer. I had beautiful songs recorded unbeknownst to most students. When they discovered this eventually, it added to my popularity and fame in class.
Besides, I composed a couple of birthday songs to some of my colleagues. One day I told one of the lecturers that I could look at her and then compose a song for her right away. She since then called me Mozart. I said this jovially. Being jovial was one of my attributes. I usually wanted to see people around me happy. I will tell you later how this affected me in my legal training.
Notwithstanding the above, I was a very good footballer. I was the striker for the Makola Football Team that went to Kumasi for the Law Week Celebration sporting activities. I was among the goal scorers which saw Makola Team winning the trophy.
Besides, I was a good communicator. I knew how to create rapport to make friends, especially the female counterparts. I was not a womanizer, I didn’t say that. I have always been a friend of ladies from time immemorial before I got admission into the Ghana School of Law .You see your face.
I liked outing a lot with my friends. I loved my friends and entertained them with singing and sometimes playing the guitar when we went out to de-stress. I will talk about this later. I guess at this time your piece of mind is that I was not a serious Law Student. Far from that. I enjoyed the course. In fact, I had an enormous interest in the law course, so I studied a lot.
A combination of the foregoing made me a ‘darling boy’ in school. Several students wanted us to form a study group. I did form one but I was later ousted from the group or is it that I exited myself? I will talk about this later.
Examinations and results
Fast forward our Part One Exams came. Six subjects were to be written. The results were to be released before we wrote Part Two. It never happened that way. It soon became time for Part Two Exams after barely three months after Part One. Four subjects were to be written.
Eventually, both results were released together. I had passed all six subjects for Part One, but accordingly failed three out of the four subjects in Part Two. I must emphasize that our year group was part of those admitted to do one year at the Law School, after law faculty. This system would be reversed back to the two-year system.
Students complained of too much stress and pressure felt within the one-year system. I can attest to that pressure.
The combined effect of the results released was that I was repeated. In other words, I was supposed to go back and register all the ten subjects and rewrite them. This was really heartbreaking and just too much for me to bear.
I could not come to terms with the results. I did not accept the results. I knew I didn’t perform well in Company and Commercial Practice. Yes I accept that, but for ADR and Advocacy, I never, in my heart of hearts, accepted that I failed. In any case, if you claimed that I failed in more than two subjects in Part Two and therefore subject to repeat; wasn’t it just, human, conscionable and equitable to make me repeat only the four subjects in Part Two?
What exactly was the policy objective? Do you know the emotional and material torture you subjected me to? If within one year a student puts up this performance and is repeated in the entire course, what is the sense in it? And many legal luminaries in the history of Ghana had repeated all Part Two subjects and wrote same several times before eventually making it to the bar and even to the bench.
I went for remarking. It was a whopping amount of GHS3000 per subject for remarking. I applied for remarking for all three subjects. If the results came and you still didn’t pass, then, your money was gone: and indeed results came, but the story was still the same. Thus, my money was gone.
I took the unusual step of writing a petition to General Legal Council, imploring them to look into my papers and do justice to me. I earnestly believed I did not fail, especially in Advocacy and ADR.
To my disappointment but properly so, the General Legal Council replied me after weeks of anxious waiting. The reply was to the effect that they were sorry they could not grant my request. That by granting same, they would be setting a precedent they were unable to follow subsequently as other students would inundate them with similar requests.
My heart was broken. At this time, all hopes were lost. I was left with the ordeal of facing my creditors, who believed in my dream and lent me the Nine Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS9,000) to go for the remarking.
Before then, let me tell you how I searched for my results when it came. I was in my office with two secretaries. As sure as I was, I gave my phone to one of them to search for my index number for me. She searched whilst I was busy working.
The confidence level was skyrocketing. I wish you were around to feel the air of importance around me. I said to myself: “Lawyer!! You think we are joking here?” After about fifteen minutes, the response was “ I didn’t find your number “. I guess she didn’t understand the implication of that answer. What it meant was that once my number could not be found I was repeated. Far from it. Me, repeated! The worst I expected was a referral in Company and Commercial Practice.
I angrily took the phone from her and gave it to the second secretary. After about ten minutes, I heard, “sir, I can’t find the number o”.
At this moment, I became alarmed. Just then, one of my mates called to congratulate me on passing. He, however, lamented that he was repeating. I tried encouraging him. At this time, my temperature was cool. I then decided to look through the list myself to confirm since those “good-for-nothing” secretaries claimed they could not find it.
To my utter surprise, I realized that indeed my number was nowhere to be found. I tried the second time, no such luck!
At this moment, my blood pressure was at a boiling point. I called my mate immediately to ascertain where he found my results. He mentioned the serial number on which my result was premised. I went there straight, only to realize that the index number therein was 362, mine was 326, apparently, my friend made a mistake. Master! At this moment, I denied what I saw. Instead, I drove to the Ghana School of Law to check the notice board by my good self. Massa!! No change o, same story!
I just headed towards home. Went to a drinking bar and made myself fine. I spent several hours there. I was still at the drinking spot when one of my mates called me. This mate had passed all the subjects. This mate of mine was not just an ordinary class mate. The two of us were members of a particular professional group. We thus were on the same professional WhatsApp platform.
No sooner had I told him of my predicament than I started reading congratulatory messages to him from the platform. It is important you note that most people on the platform knew the two of us were mates at the Law School. Your guess is as good as mine. I ordered for more alcohol. Got drunk, slept in the car parked by the roadside till an articulated truck honked its horn to wake me up. It was 3:12am. I headed home. I realized I had missed hundreds of phone calls from my wife.
I tried sleeping again but I couldn’t. Around 4:50am, I went to the washroom. I was wailing at the top of my voice. Crying like a baby! I just couldn’t stop crying. Not the adult type of crying. Crying literally like a baby but in an adult voice.
Meanwhile, I had promised myself that under no circumstances would I ever let my kids see my tears. I always wanted to be strong for them no matter the circumstances. My son, Emmanuel, called from behind the door. “Daddy! Daddy! Are you crying?”
I immediately realized that my crying voice was being heard outside. So I replied Emmanuel in a sobbing and trembling voice. “No! Emma, I’m not crying, I’m praying tongues”. Do you know tongues? The five-year old said: “no, daddy”. I said: “go back inside, when I finish praying tongues, I will come and explain it to you, ok”. After he left, I soon remembered that the big party I promised him and his siblings on my call to the bar had become a fiasco.
More tension mounted. How do I tell my children I had failed an exam? How about all the boastings I did to them that I never failed an exam and I will never fail one? You have no idea the magical tongues I chanted thereafter. Just trying to rationalize my previous irresponsible crying behaviour!
I freshened up for work. Very clumsy, red eyes, broken- hearted, disappointed and ashamed of myself. Who will not ask how Fidel fared in the exam? How about the secretaries, how would they see me? I also remembered the remark of my boss last year when our seniors’ results were released. That I should try and pass my exams because he didn’t agree with the demonstrating law students. According to him, once others had passed, all should have passed, otherwise it was the fault of the students who failed.
I got to the office, trying to keep up, but my emotions were just giving me away. So by 11:00am I left the office. I stay at Adenta environs so I started driving towards Adenta. Before long, I realized I was at Mampong. It was at that moment I realized that as a health worker, if I failed to consciously put myself together and as quickly as possible, my next sleeping place would be Pantang Psychiatric Hospital since it was just close by my hood. Whilst driving, I realized that I was in my own world of fantasy, imagining all sorts of utopian ideas.
At Mampong, I decided to walk around the Tetteh Quashie Memorial Hospital. I met a lady at the accounts section. Engaged her in chatting just so I could divert the painful thoughts that were emanating from my mind.
It was in the course of this chat that I realized that my other professional colleague I talked about was in that hospital. I didn’t want him to see me.
The lady excused me that she was going to see her boss. She returned so excited that her boss was part of 64 students who had passed the Law School Exams. At this moment, I realized Satan was closing in on me. It seemed there was no escape route for me. The devil was a liar: I said to myself.
So I pretended to enjoy the success story of her boss with her and then Nicodemously left the vicinity. I didn’t want her boss, being my professional colleague, to chance upon me and perhaps introduce me to anyone that I was his mate at the Ghana School of Law. So I ran out like Usain Bolt. Sped with the speed of light to Adenta, panting like a deer that has just escaped the catch for Aboakyer festival.
So after some days and upon frequent sobbing and prayers (I never stopped praying), I resolved that I was not going to do the course again. The friend who called to congratulate me the day the results were released, advised that we should register immediately. I refused. I just couldn’t come to terms with sitting down to read any law book again. The truth be told, I really read for those exams. I didn’t joke at all. I would open the library and close with librarians at the Legon Law Faculty.
I consoled myself with the fact that, after all, we were not all born to be lawyers. Besides, I had my job. So that was it. My friend and other colleagues registered immediately, whilst I was busy writing petitions to General Legal Council and following demonstrating students to Parliament House etc. As I write this, all those colleagues who rewrote are now lawyers while I am still waiting for my Part Two results with their associated anxieties.
One evening, an uncle called me. He said he saw me on television. I was in parliament, sitting among the law students who were demonstrating against their mass failure. At this moment, I realized that if I didn’t stop the hysteria, I would be making a mockery of myself to the public.
Around this time too there was this social media item going around town. A gentleman, disgusted by the demonstrating law students, went on social media, insulting all demonstrating students. He described them as unintelligent and a nuisance to the public, adding that it was not mandatory for one to be a lawyer. If the students felt the course was too tough for them, they better quit: “Moa bongwa mose mookor demonstration.
Eye by force se ye Lawyer?” To wit: if you were unintelligent and had failed your exam, does this call for demonstration? Are you mandated to be lawyers? Or better expressed: is it by force that you should become lawyers?
This cut me deep. I had always been seen as an intelligent person in the previous schools that I attended. This situation definitely was strange.
Comments from 2017 GSL academic page
Back home, on our class Academic whatsApp Platform, various comments by various colleagues just made matters worse for me. I initially wanted to delete myself from the page but later exercised restraint.
Some of those who made it either directly or upon remarking or rewriting their referrals, just didn’t know the limits. Oh my God! Some really lacked wisdom and just went wild in their celebrations. My inner being detested that platform. I stopped reading items from there.
Some of the comments that I can still remember are as follows:
a. IEC has spoken and everyone knows his or her smoothness level now.
b. As for some of us, we didn’t do law because we wanted to practise, we did it just for ‘sheegeh’ reasons.
c. etc etc.
Others simply refused picking up your calls.
But seriously, I had nothing against them. I only thought that they should have been more considerate in their expressions, knowing that not all colleagues were on the same page or status as they were.
There were those, however, who wrote messages of encouragement. For example:
1. Don’t worry, God’s time is the best.
2. If you have failed, it doesn’t mean you were not intelligent.
3. The battle is not for the swift etc.
Social relations with mates after release of results
I remember I went to Flagstaff House area, close to TV3, the rear view. A place I used to go eat some fufu with palm nut soup, with friends. It was in the evening. I met one of my colleagues. He was a referred student at that time. That is to say he failed in two papers. I failed three papers, so I was a repeat student.
Unless you are a student of the Ghana School of Law, you will not understand how just one subject difference can put mates worlds asunder.
I was watching a football match there, just trying once again to divert my painful thoughts. He came to sit close to me. After about five minutes of watching the game, he passed an unpleasant comment: “this is your field but not Law”, pointing at the football match.
I could not believe my ears, because looking at my age, I could not just reconcile the advice of my friend to stop pursuing law and become a professional footballer. Obviously, this was a mockery. I remained silent. Never uttered a word. I just told him after a while that I was visiting the washroom. Then I escaped, I couldn’t take further scorn and disrespect.
On another occasion, my outing group decided that we should meet as usual. I wanted to refuse but upon second thought, I supposed it was more mature to control my emotions and flaws. We got to the venue. One of the guys who had passed at first instance wore a T-Shirt and embossed very boldly across his chest was the word “ESQUIRE”. This lowered the tempo of the sitting as the other half of the group members were repeated students.
However, through emotional maturity, we kept up and went on having fun as though nothing had changed.
On another occasion, we met again. This time was bad. One of us decided to bring along a female colleague. Usually it was a boys-boys movement. This lady refused to greet us when she came to see us sitting. Unfortunately, all those sitting before her arrival were repeated students and a referred student.
Fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be, what we wanted was not available at that meeting point so we decided to relocate. Once again repeated students got to the venue first. The lady came in afterwards. When she realized that it was only us sitting again, she refused to sit among us. She went and stood aside, waiting for those called to the bar to turn up so she would sit by them.
She opened up heartily, chatting with them when they finally arrived. I am talking about a lady that used to sit around me in class. We were good friends and cracked jokes and laughed together in class. Suddenly, we have become strangers. At this moment, I could not take it anymore. All the patience in me ran out. I spoke to her harshly: “why are you behaving this way? You failed two subjects and I failed three subjects. You went to rewrite your two. You were called to the bar so the world has come to an end or something?” I spoke my mind. Then calmly, she apologized and told me to forget about everything. I did.
Encouragement from Sule and Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, Esq.
Meanwhile, all this while, chairman Sule; our former class rep and chairman of our outing social group, kept admonishing me to go back to school. I said I couldn’t just do it. He encouraged me to write a letter of deferment to the school so as to secure my studenthood. Eventually, I wrote to defer my course.
It was around that period that the General Legal Council through the indefatigable Maxwell Opoku Agyemang (Acting Director of the Ghana School of Law and Legal Education) organized a meeting for all repeated students of the New Professional Law Course (NPLC) group. I attended, and it was on that day I found hope again.
Maxwell’s voice was the one that gave me that hope. He was sincerely concerned. He admitted that the system was not fair to some of us. I felt like a human being again. The previous administration just simply disregarded our emotions. They literally forgot about our existence and went about business as usual. Maxwell’s voice and presence rejuvenated my enthusiasm.
If I passed all my six subjects for Part One and failed three for Part Two, it was just fair that I will be made to rewrite all four subjects for Part Two but not to write all ten subjects again.
Nobody seemed to care about our rights until Maxwell became Acting Director of the Ghana School of Law. As a result of his encouragement, I went back to school. I wrote the first part and qualified for Part Two. As I write this memoir, I have written Part Two and awaiting results. God willing, I hope to pass and get called to the Bar before releasing this project for your consumption.
Objectives of this project
Now the purpose of writing this memoir, is, as it were, to use my experiences from the Ghana School of Law to prepare psychologically all final year LL.B students, all Professional Law students; encourage repeat students and humbly admonish all pass students to be considerate in their celebrations.
In achieving the above objectives, I have discussed below certain key lessons that will give strength and power to the various cohorts of students at the Ghana School of Law.
I will take my key experiences as enumerated above and tell you the lessons learnt. What I should have done and what I shouldn’t have done! The repercussions, both negative and positive on my studies and persona!
I will do this in no particular order.
1. I liked asking questions in class. There were a number of students who liked asking questions and making contributions in class. Trust me, almost all such students passed their exams at the time. People like Emmanuela, Faisal, Ndebugri, Kansuk etc! Ask questions, make contributions and be part of the class body and soul. Apart from understanding all legal concepts through this method, being active in class makes you confident. You will soon understand that confidence is one of the key hallmarks of an excellent lawyer.
I was told by one of my mates, towards the terminal times of our lecture days that I asked gibberish questions. I saw this as an attack on my learning strategy and I had to fiercely and ferociously resist that attack. I am not angry, we have gone past that. What I, however, want to emphasize is that, don’t allow any negative criticism to disenchant you from being active in class.
We are all students but from different backgrounds. Remember to be yourself throughout. However, let the course pass through you: don’t just pass through the course.
2. The lady whose name the late Marful-Sau JSC, used together with my name to make illustrations in class was a lady I admired so much back at our faculty days at GIMPA.
She was so quiet, cool, calm and collected. I just admired that. When we came to Law School, we sat close to each other in the front line at her instance. I helped her in many ways. She also did the same. I never ceased to express to her since faculty days how I admired her personality.
Some months down our stay at Main Campus, Accra, she started showing me attitude. I did not understand this. She even moved away from where she was sitting and relocated to the back.
This made other concerned fellows ask me what the matter was. I had no answers. I was simply embarrassed by her actions but I remained emotionally mature about things.
Friends came to me and passed nasty comments in the name of jokes. This affected my concentration in class because I thought so many people would have also had their own opinions as to why she left her sitting place which was close to me for the back seat.
The moral of this experience is that, at the Law School, let everybody be your friend ordinarily. Don’t have a best friend or a closest pal.
Let your books be your closest pals. More close pals after calling to the bar. ! Sharing deep emotions may jeopardize your peace of mind which you would need badly for your studies. Remember the course is a jealous one. Combining it with other equally jealous activities may affect your studies.
3. Remember my experiences with colleagues after the release of results. See, I failed in three subjects as I stated supra, some failed in two but trust me that proximity in failure is larger than you may ever imagine. The policies regarding exams at the Ghana School of Law can really create classes in the minds of students. Work hard to at least avoid a repeat. Even if you don’t make a pass, be a referred student. Otherwise, you will later be treated like a laborer at the gate of the school by your own closest pals. Don’t take this as a joke.
4. Remember how my mates celebrated their successes on the platform? You can’t blame them? Can you? But the lesson to take home is that when you fail, be encouraged to try again. When you eventually pass, please celebrate maximally with your family and friends out there but on the platform, be moderate and considerate. People are dying slowly.
Trust me, it’s devastating. Bob Marley, of blessed memory, said that, he who feels it knows it. People have lost property, marriages have broken, huge sums of money have been lost and people have forfeited their jobs all in a bid to pursue the Professional Law Course and be called to the bar. Lives have even been lost in this process. Be considerate.
Let’s face it, can you really attest firmly that you are more intelligent than the repeated colleagues? Or can you guarantee that you will perform better at the bar than your repeated colleagues? So you see, just be considerate enough and use wisdom.
5. Remember how I checked my final results? There are three tension zones for students at the Ghana School of Law: preparation for the exams, waiting for the results and checking the results when they finally drop. You will have to be careful at these zones before your health fails you. Remember I said I was going to Adenta, the next thing I realized was that I was at Mampong. But for my insight into mental health, I could have gone demented.
6. I also realized that all the friends or mates I knew who liked to learn by heart, passed. I mean the “diibaba” guys (‘chew pour pass’). They all passed. I cannot overemphasize this point. This is not my style of learning. I like to be analytical and to own the knowledge. But my brother, “time no dey.” A friend once told me on campus that there was a lot of learning and analysis to be done after Call to the Bar. “Give them what they want and when you are called to the bar, you can go out there and do your analysis”. A word to the wise is ‘in the north’ (is enough).
7. I realized also that once you start lectures, please start serious studies, especially with your discussion group members. Remember I said I formed a discussion group but left later. We were many so it was less effective in my opinion. When members are more than three, then it becomes a social group with its associated issues. This one says this, this one says that this one is not contributing, etc. To join a discussion group made up of at most three serious people including yourself. Start studies right from the beginning, don’t wait till the last minute. This is advice to especially the elderly students.
8. Remember I said I made various presentations to the admiration of colleagues and lecturers. One powerful weapon I used was language. I mean legal language. You may hear stuff like “please speak plain English”, but any time a student makes a contribution in class using the legal language and principles, he is much appreciated by all. This does not suggest in any form that one should be overly verbose in legalese. No. Do not use anachronistic legalese or Latin terms in a bid to impress. In simple terms, my advice is that you should Speak like a lawyer and write like a lawyer even though you are a student lawyer.
9. Remember I told you one chairman Sule as he was affectionately called, was responsible for my comeback to the school. Mention is also made of Edem, Noah and Babayi, for their encouragement. They would call continually to check on me. Thank you, guys. But you see the point to remember is that you must appreciate people at the Law School. One good turn deserves another. Chairman Sule, to me, was a natural leader. He was our class rep. He stood for SRC presidential election but unfortunately lost out. I was among the very few people who stood behind him in his campaign. I did so because I believed he was the best candidate amongst the contestants. Even though he lost, we became friends after school. It was this Sule who made sure I went back to school. Chairman, thank you. Law school is an opportunity to strike acquaintances. It’s priceless. Respect your colleagues. Your mates are your source of power and wealth. They are resources personified and par excellence. Remember life does not end at Law School.
10. Remember I told you I am a jovial fellow? Before our moot practical, we went to the High Court Complex for an orientation workshop. We were told that our appearance attracted six marks or so. On the D-day, I appeared before the Judge when it was my turn. I realized that the podium that was placed before me virtually covered my shoes which I had polished for over two hours the previous night because I wanted to get all full marks for appearance.
As a result of this and before I made my submissions before her Ladyship, I jovially adverted the mind of the learned Judge to my shoes. My joke went bad; she became very angry and wondered how I got the guts to be joking in front of a Judge.
I took a cue from that and retracted my jovial comment. I, however, went ahead to impress her with my legal submissions. Many tell me that perhaps, my joke was the reason for which I failed Advocacy. Whatever it was, my advice is simple. The law is a serious enterprise for serious people as it deals with serious matters. Deal with your comedy talent and take everything connected with law and its practice very seriously.
11. Remember I said through it all I kept praying. You see, the occasion is called CALL TO THE BAR. What that means in my humble opinion is that it’s a vocation that one is called into. Therefore, much as you may be physically eager to be called to the bar, it is prudent to advert your mind to the spiritual dimension as well. What if it’s not a divine time for you to be called to the bar? So you see, just keep praying and believing, your time will come.
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The writer, Fidel Leviel (also known as Fee Ranking) is a newly minted lawyer having been called to the Ghanaian Bar in October 2021. Aside from law, he is a reggae/dancehall artist.
