Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has advocated for negotiations between the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the Association of Judges and Magistrates to resolve the ongoing disagreement regarding court proceedings during the legal vacation.
The dispute stems from concerns raised by the GBA over directives requiring lawyers to appear before Vacation Courts, despite lawyers indicating their unavailability during the designated period. The Bar Association has appealed to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to ensure that established practices governing the legal vacation are respected.
The controversy deepened after the Chief Justice declined requests by lawyers representing former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahen and former National Food and Buffer Stock Company Limited (NAFCO) Chief Executive Officer Hanan Abdul-Wahab to defer their cases until October. The defense counsel, including Samuel Atta Akyea and former Attorney-General Godfred Dame, cited prior vacation commitments and requested adjournments until after the break.
Conversely, Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai argued that a lawyer’s primary duty is to the client and that the interests of litigants must take precedence over a lawyer’s desire for time off.
Speaking on Citi FM on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, Mr. Kpebu urged both sides to avoid public confrontation and pursue an amicable settlement.
“I’m in the middle ground. Middle ground being that we should negotiate. We should try to find an amicable settlement,” he said.
Mr. Kpebu observed that the current approach forces individual lawyers to approach presiding judges to seek accommodation, which could lead to inconsistent outcomes.
“The Chief Justice’s explanation means that each lawyer should go and fight his own fight, but I know we have different fighting skills, different strengths,” he noted.
He proposed that the GBA engage directly with the Association of Judges and Magistrates to establish a uniform arrangement for lawyers with cases listed before Vacation Courts. He argued that such an approach would help resolve the dispute constructively and bring clarity for both bench and bar during the legal vacation period.