Monrovia – Seven year-old and in the 2nd grade, Crispan Howard, says he wants to be a lawyer by profession when he grows up.
Little Howard was among several pupils of the Lensir Nursery Elementary School behind Area “T” in the Township of Bardnersville that visited the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Francis Korkpor with the sole purpose to learning the work of the Supreme Court.
The Administrator of the school said that they had come to the Supreme Court with 20 pupils to give them the opportunity of learning the how senior Judges carry out their day to day functions.
Chief Justice Korkpor who took time off his busy duty arrived few minutes in the chamber after the kids and their teachers were seated at the far left corner of the high court. He welcomed them and thanked them for coming to know the work of the high court.
He stated that there are three branches of government, the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary and that the function of the Judiciary is to interpret the laws.
“Welcome to the Supreme Court this is where all cases end from here there is no other appeal and those cases come from the lower courts and end up here” said Chief Justice Korkpor pointing at the seating capacity of him and the rest of his colleagues the Associate Justices.
He told the kids that the court is the place that settles dispute for people to live together peacefully adding that when someone does wrong one does not need to pay back rather to come to the court for redress alluding that when the court system operates freely , fairly the people will be happy.
Chief Justice Korkpor who took over 30 minutes of his working time to brief the kids about the work of the Supreme Court indicated that before lawyers can become a counsellor to practice before the Supreme Court that person must have practiced for the last five years, sit the test and make a successful pass.
The lecture series which was marked by questions from the kids and answer Chief Justice Korkpor told the kids that what is done or performed at the level of the Supreme Court are traditions that they met and decided on pass on.
On the issue of seven-year-old second grader Howard who expressed his intention to be a lawyer when he grows up Chief Justice Korkpor told him unlike some negative perceptions in some quarters about lawyers, lawyers are professional and decent people even-though he cannot dispute that there are some bad lawyers.
“Lawyers are professionals and decent people even-though one rotten apple can spoil the rest of the other apples in the bag” said Chief Justice Korkpor who hailed the move by seven year-old Howard interest of becoming a lawyer but says that his only regret is when he grows-up to pursue his studies he will not be around at that time.
Kennedy L. Yangian [email protected]