More people are of the view that law is becoming too prestigious and overshadowing all other professions. Friends of law says it is just envy. I'm not going to join the fight from some pompous perch. I want to talk about how the "average Ghanaian" sees this "prestige." In Ghana, as almost everywhere, it is not the professors who sees most clearly how the society really feels. For that, trust the comedians. Allow me, then, to present to you, Lawyer Koomson, aka "mun kye no" (I.e. "arrest him/her".) Lawyer Koomson is a "skit" character created by a formidable comic genius (Samuel Akowuah) who in bygone days could have rubbed shoulders with all-time greats like Waterproof, Super OD, Opia, Santo, Kohw3, Dr. Rokoto, Katawere, and Fred Addae. So, how does Mun Kye No portray the legal profession? 1. Nose-poking. He goes around interfering with every matter! Why is the stew in your pot too thick? Mun kye no! Why didn't you put aboy in your hair? Mun kye no! Insight: Law people in Ghana are too in our faces! Turn on every major talk-show and you will find that no matter the subject, they will find a way to make it about law. 2. Judge, Jury, Executioner. Though Lawyer Koomson presents himself as a lawyer, his main act is to order arrests! After pronouncing instant judgment. Insight: That is how some of the more popular lawyers sound on our airwaves. Even when it is clear that they have done no research on an issue, expect them to pronounce conclusively. 3. Jargon. When he senses the least resistance, Lawyer Koomson deploys his sharpest weapon: Article! "Do you know article?" Two-thirds of the time, all defiance immediately collapses. Insight: Regardless of context, Ghanaian lawyers will start speaking in legal-speak as if doing so confers special insight. 4. Intimidation. Sometimes Koomson, Esq, is compelled to follow up because the mention of "article" doesn't bamboozle the victim to submission. Come and see English! He will stir and pour word salad like no one's business and then move on. Insight: Just like a "legal luminary" on Ghanaian TV about to lose an argument. 5. Oppression. Lawyer Koomson has never met his match (well, he has been wise enough to avoid Countryman Songo). Citizens gather around and murmur protests, but the hapless target is grabbed anyway, and all the complaints "don't go anywhere," as we say in Ghana. Insight: Maybe here the skit stops being funny? The talk-show noise may irritate, but it’s nothing next to what people actually experience inside the legal system itself: the land case your grandfather started that your children may inherit, the adjournment after adjournment, and, oh, the unexplained absence of Judges on the next adjournment date. Yet, helplessness remains the default. PS: Fans of the Kejetia Lawyer should spare us any wild comparisons! Lawyer Koomson is in his own league. Full stop! PS2: Still, massive congratulations to all the new lawyers!