Monrovia – Associate Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, Atty. Jamal C. Dehtho, Jr. said the school is making immense progress to improve its students’ learning environment.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
Atty. Dehtho, in an exclusive interview with FrontPage Africa during the administration of the Law School’s 2018 entrance exams over the weekend, noted that the refurbishing of the Legal Aid Clinic, and the ongoing digitalization drive currently taking place at the institution are services that current students and prospective ones will benefit from in the ensuing semesters.
“These students are going to be part of those who are already enrolled. They have professors that are now presenting lectures using PowerPoint and they are going to be part of classes that will be mostly Internet-based,” he said.
He disclosed that in addition to current high-profiled lawyers teaching at the institution, the school is poised to get additional lecturers including the National Elections Commission Chairman, Cllr. Jerome Korkoyah, former Chief Justice Francis Johnson Allison and former Solicitor General, Cllr. Betty Larmin Blamo among others.
He said currently the school can boost of three of the five Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia including Chief Justice Francis Korkpor and Associates Justices Kabineh Jan’eh and Philip A. Z. Banks, III.
“The Law School is blessed to have three justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia. We also have two Judges from the Commercial Court and high-profiled lawyers including Cllr. Benedict Sannoh, Cllr. Alexander Zoe, Cllr. Oswald Tweh and we are even blessed to have Cllr. T. Nagbalee Warner as Dean of the Law School. Almost every high-profiled lawyer who practices law in Liberia teaches at the law school. That is why the law school is one of the most prestigious professional institutions in Liberia,” he enthused.
Commenting on the entrance examinations, the Associate Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, stated that over 250 applicants sat the exams and disclosed that plans are underway to increase the seating capacity of the institution to accommodate more students.
He added that in the newly revised curriculum, more courses have been added.
“We want more people to come. We are just following the right procedure to get the best that will represent the country. It is difficult to enter any law school in the world. Because the law profession is a unique profession and requires analytical skills, we look for people who have the passion and dedication to come to the law school. Not like it is somehow a cumbersome process. It is that people don’t reach the analytical threshold.”
Also speaking, the Chief Judge of the Commercial Court, Eva Mappy-Morgan, who also serves as an Asst. Professor of Law, encouraged females to strive for the best.
Judge Mappy-Morgan urged them to use the success stories of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and current UL President, Dr. Ophelia I. Weeks, as motivating factors to excel, especially in the legal profession that is dominated by their male counterparts.
“I think they should just persevere. Liberia is an open and democratic society where there hasn’t been in recent history where women have been stopped or hindered in any way from reaching their dreams. We just had a female President of Liberia. We have a female President at the University of Liberia,” she stated.
The Commercial Court Judge, who teaches Legal Ethics and Legal Writings acknowledged that the entrance and placement examination is challenging because the profession is all about logic and as such students, who study law should be excellent and studious.
“The test should be challenging. We always tell our students that in the palm of their hands, they have life, liberty and property. So, we are not looking for people who are sluggish. We are looking for people who are committed. People who want to come into the profession for the protection of rights and properties. This is a very charged profession, charged in a way that it demands a lot of respect. Law is a jealous mistress. So, it demands a lot of your time. We are looking for people who have that time and commitment and studious. We are looking for scholars,” she said.