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A counsel or a counselor gives advice, more particularly in legal matters.

U.K. and Ireland[link]

The legal system in England uses the term counsel as an approximate synonym for a barrister-at-law, and may apply it to mean either a single person who pleads a cause, or collectively, the body of barristers engaged in a case. It seems uncertain as to whether the term also applies to a solicitor advocate. Some judges and lawyers apply the term interchangeably between both barristers and solicitor advocates.

The difference between "Barrister" and "Counsel" is subtle. "Barrister" is a professional title awarded by one of the four Inns of Court, and is used in a barrister's private, academic or professional capacity. "Counsel" is used to refer to a barrister who is instructed on a particular case. It is customary to use the third person when addressing a barrister instructed on a case: "Counsel is asked to advise" rather than "You are asked to advise".

The legal term counselor, or more fully, counselor-at-law, became practically obsolete in England, but continued in use locally in Ireland^{[citation needed]} as an equivalent to barrister, where a Senior Counsel (S.C.) is equivalent to the English Queen's Counsel (Q.C.)

North America[link]

In the United States of America, the term counselor-at-law designates, specifically, an attorney admitted to practice in all courts of law; but as the United States legal system makes no formal division of the legal profession into two classes, as in the United Kingdom, and most US citizens use the term loosely in the same sense as lawyer, meaning one who is versed in (or practicing) law.

In the United States and Canada, many large and midsize law firms have lawyers with the job title of "counsel", "special counsel" or "of counsel". These lawyers are employees of the firm like associates, although some firms have an independent contractor relationship with them. But unlike associates, and more like partners, they generally have their own clients, manage their own files, and supervise associates. (For more information, see the Law firm article.)

See also[link]

• Attorney at law
• Ineffective assistance of counsel

Tsatsu Tsikata (born 1 October 1950) is a Ghanaian academic and lawyer. He is also a former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.

Early life and education[link]

Tsikata was born at Keta in the south of the Volta Region of Ghana.^[1] He was however brought up at Adabraka, a suburb of Accra, the capital of Ghana. He started school at an early age because he wanted to follow his older brother Fui to school. He first attended Additrom Preparatory School and then Mrs Sam’s Preparatory School, a school also attended by Jerry Rawlings. He was again moved to Accra Newtown Experimental School where he was jumped from Year 2 to Year 3, catching up with his older brother Fui.^[2] He won a United Africa Company (UAC) scholarship in 1960 to start his secondary education at the age of 9 years at the Mfantsipim School.^[2][3] On completion of his 5 year course, he gained admission into the University of Ghana, Legon at the age of 16, where he obtained an LL.B First Class degree at the age of 18 years. Only one other 18 year old had completed a degree programme at that time. His lecturers included Professor Ofosu Amaah and Dr. Obed Asamoah, a former foreign minister and Attorney General of Ghana.^[2] He then won a post-graduate scholarship from the University of Ghana to Oxford University where he again obtained first class honours in Bachelor of Civil Law which is equivalent to a master's degree at other British universities.

Academic career[link]

Tsikata held a Junior Research Fellowship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford where he also served as a tutor.^[4] On his return to Ghana in 1974, he was appointed a lecturer at the law faculty of the University of Ghana. Some of his students included Kwamena Ahwoi, Alban Bagbin, former majority leader in the Parliament of Ghana and Freddie Blay, former first deputy speaker in the Parliament of Ghana, a former first deputy speaker in parliament.^[2]

Barrister[link]

Tsikata has served as counsel to a number of notable personalities over the years. These include Captain Kojo Tsikata, his cousin and Kofi Awoonor. During the era of the National Redemption Council/Supreme Military Council military regimes of Acheampong, he defended Samuel Okudjeto and William Ofori Atta who stood trial for political reasons. After the May 15 uprising in 1979, he was counsel for Jerry Rawlings during the treason trial that came to an abrupt end when the SMC military government led by Fred Akuffo was overthrown on 4 June 1979.^[4]

Ghana National Petroleum Company[link]

Tsikata was appointed the Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) from October 1988 to December 2000 by the PNDC led by Jerry Rawlings.

Trial jail and pardon[link]

Tsikata was tried for causing financial loss of GH¢230,000 to the state after a trial through the Accra Fast Track Tribunal, one of many set up by the Kufuor government to try such cases. The trial lasted for six years. He was pronounced guilty on 18 June 2008 by Mrs. Justice Hernrietta Abban.^[5] The length of the trial is reputed to be the longest ever involving a former government official in the history of the country. Those loyal to President Kufuor's New Patriotic Party government hailed this as a triumph for the judicial system while Tsikata's sympathisers and National Democratic Congress supporters saw the trial as politically motivated.^[6] This led to the formation of the 'Free Tsatsu Movement'.^[7] He was granted an unconditional pardon by the then President John Kufuor on his last day of office after his party, the New Patriotic Party lost the Ghanaian presidential election, 2008. At the time, he was on admission at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital under prison guard following a severe bout of asthma.^[8] Tsatsu Tsikata rejected the presidential pardon and announced at a forum later that he felt the pardon was not in good faith and that he would fight through the court system to clear his name.^[9][10]

Family[link]

Tsikata is one of seven siblings.^[11] His father was Godwin Kwaku-Sru Tsikata, a retired Textiles Sales Manager with the UAC. He is married to Esther Cobbah^[12] and they have three children.

Personal and social life[link]

Tsikata is Christian and an elder of the Asbury Dunwell Church in Accra.^[4] He is a known asthmatic and this appears to have limited his extracurricular activities and school attendance as a child. After he was jailed in 2008, he had an acute asthmatic attack that took him from the Nsawam prisons to intensive care.

References[link]

External links[link]

• DOSSIER: Tsikata-GNPC Case on Ghanaweb