Esinam Kporku, Esq, who gained media attention on December 13, 2023, following a report highlighting her impressive performance in a high-profile case at the Supreme Court has revealed how she felt while in court.
The attorney at Ecam Law Consult, played the role of lead counsel for the New Patriotic Party Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe (Abronye DC), during a hearing at the Supreme Court.
The case involved a lawsuit against the Attorney General, urging the government to reverse the proposed emoluments for the First and Second Ladies as recommended by the Prof Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu-led Committee.
The 7-member panel overseeing the case, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, also included Justice Gabriel Pwamang, Justice Lovelace Johnson, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Barbara AckahYensu, Justice Ernest Gawu, and Justice Samuel Asiedu.
Shortly after the report, Esinam received commendation from a senior member of the bar, Justice Srem-Sai.
Engaging the media as to how the entire process felt, Esinam admitted to being nervous especially when the experience of another senior colleague of her was questioned.
Nonetheless, the idea that one’s knowledge is what is most important, enabled her to think on her feet which saw to her great delivery.
“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” after court proceedins.
Justice Srem-Sai took to Twitter to share insights into the responsibilities and challenges faced by young lawyers like Esinam, who, with only two years of experience at the Bar, were entrusted with making 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 pointed out the potential challenges that many young lawyers might face when given such significant opportunities, emphasizing that Esinam’s performance in a major constitutional case involving the president and vice president was deserving of extra 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.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has fixed February 28, 2024, to deliver judgement on the case.