According to him, unlike other professionals, lawyers, be it male or female are not at liberty to wear whatever pleases them, regardless of whether they are in court or outside the premises of the court.
âIn other words, flashy isnât allowed. The profession has a fairly universal attitude regarding what is considered appropriate and what is not,â Anthony Forson said.
He explained that a male lawyer must always wear a dark coloured suit, a tie, and a properly buttoned shirt, while a female lawyer is also expected to be in a dark suit with trousers or knee-length matching shirt before they can be considered as dressed appropriately in court.
âBare legs are never accepted in court, neither are open-toed shoes. Anything flashy such as large gaudy earrings or sandals are also inappropriate,â thechronicle.com.gh quoted Mr Forson as having said. âWhether in court or at the office, lawyers should refrain from showing much skin. Bare arms are generally frowned upon in the office and never appropriate in court. Hair and make-up should be conservative. Last, shirts or blouses should always be buttoned, so that the cleavage is never revealed.â
He was reportedly addressing the commemorative webinar conference under the theme âEnhancing National Cohesion: The essence of free, fair and responsible electionsâ in Accra on Monday when he sounded the caution of warning to the legal practitioners.
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âWe of the Ghana Bar Association are encouraged by our constitution to ensure the integrity of the judicial process, especially since our colleagues on the bench are unable to speak in their own defence,â he emphasized.
The GBA president also touched on the challenges of acquiring legal education in the country, saying the system needs a transformation to remove all the bottlenecks.
âIt is our hope that the performance in this yearâs entry examinations would be much better to afford many more students entry into the law school. I support the law school village concept to expand access and probably, eventually, move to the system where more faculties can provide the professional training with supervision by the General Legal Counsel. Quality should never be compromised for any reason,â Anthony Forson added.