Justice Mensah
Justice Philip Bright Mensah, a Supreme Court nominee, is advocating for improved conditions of service for judges at lower courts to attract more lawyers to start their judicial careers there.
He believes that making the conditions more attractive would encourage qualified lawyers to take up roles in rural and underserved areas, ultimately enhancing access to justice.
Speaking during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Justice Mensah said many lawyers prefer to join the bench at the higher courts because the working conditions at the lower courts are not attractive.
He explained that while lower court judges handle a significant portion of the country’s justice delivery, lawyers are often unwilling to start there due to poor conditions.
“I believe that the real work of the courts starts from the lower levels. That is where justice delivery begins. So if we want quality justice, we must make the conditions of service at the lower bench attractive enough to bring in good lawyers,” he said.
According to Justice Mensah, he had to serve in multiple courts early in his career because there were not enough lawyers willing to take up positions at the lower courts.
“It wasn’t because lawyers were not available, but they simply didn’t see the conditions as attractive,” he added.