African Women in Law
Law has been a family tradition since 1902 when my West Indian grandfather George James Christian, a lawyer, came to the Gold Coast as a “Returned Exile” instead of going back to Dominica his birthplace. My mother Essi Matilda Forster was the first woman lawyer in the Gold Coast in 1947. I chose to follow her footsteps as legislative counsel at the Attorney-General’s Department, Ministry of Justice, Ghana, where I was the Director of Legislative Drafting from January 2005-March 2011. In that capacity, I was responsible for the legislation of the Republic of Ghana with the status of a Court of Appeal Judge.
The highlight contributions of my career at the Ministry and subsequently as a legislative drafting consultant have included the preparation of social policy legislation that transcends cultural and civil law perspectives. My keen interest has been the preparation of legislation that improves the quality of people’s lives, advances their wellbeing and curbs inequality. To that end, I have been proudly concerned with legislation on children, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, affirmative action, mental health and social protection amongst others. It has been rewarding to be involved with crafting these laws. I have published on diverse subjects that include mental health legislation, the property rights of spouses, legislation on Anti-Corruption Initiatives in Ghana, terrorism, the proliferation of small arms, social protection, affirmative action, Climate change and West Indian Patriots in West Africa.
Training and sharing knowledge in legislative drafting has been my strength. My ultimate object has been to draft legislation that is clear, concise and easily understood in furtherance of the Rule of Law. I believe that African Women Lawyers should make it a point to write articles for publication about their legal experience. At international fora I have been keen to share case studies about law making in Ghana to have the voice from Africa heard.
Source: https://www.africanwomeninlaw.com/amandla1/Estelle-Matilda-AppiahRETURNED EXILE
Margaret Rouse-Jones and Estelle Appiah
Returned Exile: A Biography of George James Christian of Dominica and the Gold Coast, 1869–1940, co-authors Margaret D. Rouse-Jones and Estelle M. Appiah.
Returned Exile is the first full-length biography of George James Christian, originally from Dominica, who qualified as a barrister-at-law in London and was a participant in the first pan-African conference. He migrated to the Gold Coast in 1902, shortly after which he established a legal practice that successfully served a wide range of clients. His correspondence with his friend, the renowned Dr James Kwegyir Aggrey, during the establishment of Achimota College, provides fresh data on this important Ghanaian institution.
The book also sheds light on Christian's practice as a lawyer and his service in the Legislative Council from 1930-1940. It provides an account of his role as honorary consul for Liberia, his involvement as a Freemason, businessman and philanthropist and as a doyen of the West Indian community in the Gold Coast.
Margaret D. Rouse-Jones, professor, historian and librarian, retired as University/Campus Librarian, University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago after a career which spanned almost three decades. She is a graduate of UWI, Johns Hopkins University and University College, London.
Margaret Rouse-Jones has been active in the library and information profession locally, regionally and internationally. Her scholarship spans the field of history, historiography, biography, Caribbean bibliography and librarianship. She received several awards throughout her career. In 2011, she delivered the 2nd Ken Ingram Memorial Lecture at UWI Mona, and in 2012 the 7th Dame Eugenia Charles Distinguished Lecture for the UWI Open Campus, Dominica. Both lectures featured research on George James Christian.
Estelle M. Appiah was Director of Legislative Drafting, Attorney-General's Department, Ministry of Justice, Ghana from January 2005 -- March 2011. She currently works as a legislative drafting consultant. Estelle has law qualifications from the U.K., the University of Ghana and the University of the West Indies, and has published and written on a variety of subjects including mental health legislation, the legislation of Anti-Corruption Initiatives in Ghana, terrorism, the proliferation of small arms and West Indian Patriots in West Africa.
Estelle Appiah is the grand-daughter of George James Christian.