The Chief Justice nominee, Justice Sophia Akuffo, says she does not approve of the the practice of lawyers advertising their services on social media.
According to her, advertisement of legal services is unpleasant  and the behavior is unacceptable to the bar.
Responding to a question by the Appointment committe in Parliament on claims that the judicial service was operating archaic laws that barred advertisement on social media, Sophia Akuffo said such issues were mainly regulatory and did not have much to do with the judicial service.
She added, “Personally, I believe that dignity of the bar is as important as the dignity of the judiciary, and the idea of lawyers touting themselves on social media is personally distasteful to me. But that aside, the law is there clearly against touting because touting is an improper conduct on the part of the lawyer.â€
The Supreme Court Justice continued that, “Self-advertisement is one of those frowned on in many jurisdictions, there are some that permit it, but I have not studied the scope of those permissions. But Facebook, Twitter… at the moment will not fall in the permissible areas. You can have a website and put yourself on your website.â€
Meanwhile quiet a number of legal luminaries have voiced their varied opinion on the issue. Their comments come after a lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu, was slapped with a 3-year ban by the General Legal Council for overcharging a client and advertising his services on Facebook.
Some lawyers are of the view that the punitive measure was too harsh and unfair, Â others are calling for a review of regulations against advertising.Â
Credit: Citifmonline