Regional
imbalance
also
exists
when
one
considers
the
distribution
of
lawyers.
According
to
the
Ghana
Bar
Association,
there
are
about
3,500
members
of
the
Bar,
with
a
ratio
of
one
lawyer
to
5,792
Ghanaians.
More
than
half
of
the
lawyers
(about
2,000)
are
practicing
in
Accra,
compared
to
14
lawyers
in
the
whole
of
the
Volta
region,
60
in
the
Western
region,
23
in
the
Central
region,
17
in
the
Northern
region,
and
35
Eastern
region
and
about
a
1,000
in
the
Ashanti
region.
The
distribution
shows
a
positive
correlation
between
the
distribution
of
lawyers
and
the
distribution
of
industries,
which
again
serves
to
hamper
access
to
justice.
The
Judicial
Service
continued
improving
court
infrastructure
throughout
the
country
as
part
of
efforts
to
provide
congenial
environment
for
justice
delivery.
A
second
Appeal
Court
has
been
established
in
Kumasi
to
serve
the
northern
sector
of
the
country.
As
part
of
efforts
to
assuage
the
fears
of
the
populace
on
delays
in
addressing
electoral
flaws,
the
Judicial
Service
has
proposed
the
setting
up
of
Electoral
Courts
to
deal
with
electoral
disputes.
The
district
courts
make
up
the
largest
number
of
courts
and
statistically
handle
the
largest
number
of
cases.
However,
these
courts
suffer
from
chronic
shortages
of
magistrates.
As
at
2007,
there
were
131
District
Courts
but
only
50
appointed
magistrates.
The
Judicial
Council
is
conducting
a
career
magistrate
training
programme
in
an
attempt
to
fill
the
vacancies.
As
part
of
efforts
to
improve
access
to
justice,
the
Chieftaincy
Act
gives
traditional
chiefs
the
power
to
mediate
local
matters
and
enforce
customary
tribal
laws
dealing
with
such
matters
as
divorce,
child
custody,
and
property
disputes.
Majority
of
Respondents
(36.1
percent)
reported
an
increase
in
access
to
justice
(Figure
15)
and
cite
the
promotion
of
ADR.
37