The person of Esinam Kporku Esq was thrust into the media limelight on December 13, 2023; when GHOne TV reported about her exploits at the apex court of the land in a high-profile case.
Hours after the report that Esinam Kporku Esq had made a strong delivery that earned her plaudits from the Chief Justice and other Justices on the bench, Esinam received praise from a senior at the bar, Justice Srem-Sai.
He posted a note on Twitter (now X) detailing what goes into young lawyers as Esinam, who is two years at the Bar, being thrust to make submissions before the apex court by their superiors.
“One of the things that senior lawyers do – particularly when a young lawyer has earned their confidence – is to throw the young lawyer into kind of an ambush in a huge court.
“They’d, usually, simply, tell the young lawyer to go take an adjournment or to deliver a simple message to the court – it is called ‘limited instruction’. On this limited instruction, the unsuspecting young lawyer gets to the court only to be ambushed by the judges – she’d, often, be ordered by the court to conduct the entire business for the day (after all she’s as licensed as the senior lawyer).
Now, the test really is this: an illustrious and diligent young lawyer would discharge herself creditably and, thereby, gain her kind of “independence”,” his post read in part.
Srem-Sai noted how many a young lawyer could easily bungle the opportunity underscoring how Esinam’s delivery on a major constitutional case that affects the president and vice president was worthy of more commendation.
“She argued her case with such clarity of thought and speech, and with such grace that the entire Court – from the gallery, through the wells, up to the bench flamed up into spontaneous applause for her. The dream of every lawyer, right? She’s earned her repute among her peers,” he concluded his post.
On the substantive case, the 7-member panel, presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo also had Justice Gabriel Pwamang, Justice Lovelace Johnson, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Barbara AckahYensu, Justice Ernest Gawu and Justice Samuel Asiedu sitting.
The reports indicate that the bench couldn’t help but applaud the young lawyer as she was making her arguments.
Esinam Kporku, an attorney at Ecam Law Consult, was lead counsel on the day for the New Patriotic Party Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe (Abronye DC) who sued the Attorney General at the Supreme Court for the government to reverse the emoluments for First and Second Ladies which was proposed by the Prof Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu-led Committee.
After the proceedings, Esinam Kporku described the feeling she had when she was being praised by the justices of the Supreme Court, in an interview with GHOne TV.
“This is monumental and very elating for me, especially when I had to think on my feet. I am very grateful to my seniors for giving me this opportunity.
“This is my first day at the Supreme Court and I’m hopeful for more of similar experiences… To be honest, I was very nervous especially when the lawyer before me had been questioned with respect to his experience at the bar,” she said.
She added, “I took consolation in the fact that it is not necessarily to a large extent about experience but that which you also know and God being so good, I was able to make my submission to the admiration of the bench”.
The Supreme Court fixed February 28, 2024, to deliver judgement on the case.
Watch the interview below:
One of the things that senior lawyers do – particularly when a young lawyer has earned their confidence – is to throw the young lawyer into kind of an ambush in a huge court. They’d, usually, simply, tell the young lawyer to go take an adjournment or to deliver a simple message to the court – it is called ‘limited instruction’.
On this limited instruction, the unsuspecting young lawyer gets to the court only to be ambushed by the judges – she’d, often, be ordered by the court to conduct the entire business for the day (after all she’s as licensed as the senior lawyer). Now, the test really is this: an illustrious and diligent young lawyer would discharge herself creditably and, thereby, gain her kind of “independence”.
An entitled delusional young lawyer would disgrace her/his senior, but not after s/he has disgraced her/himself very thoroughly. This was what happened today.
Today was the last sitting day for the Supreme Court. The Justices sat from morning until after 5 pm – no break (these old women and men are really suffering). Now, to the main point: This young lawyer – Ms Essinam Kporku – is just 2 years at the bar.
Her senior threw her into the Supreme Court, in a case which was presided over by the CJ herself. That’s not all, the case is a huge constitutional law case involving the proposed ex-gratia payment to the wives of President Akufo Addo and Vice President Dr Bawumia.
Her client wants the payment to be declared unconstitutional. Ms Kporku was not only on top of the details of the arguments in the case, she was so confident in her responses to the legion of questions which flew in in no coordinated order from the Justices.
She argued her case with such clarity of thought and speech, and with such grace that the entire Court – from the gallery, through the wells, up to the bench flamed up into spontaneous applause for her. The dream of every lawyer, right? She’s earned her repute among her peers.
ghanaweb.com
