A group of lawyers has come together to form a company that provides pre-paid legal services to the public.
Their aim is to address the high cost of accessing legal services, especially in the urban and peri-urban areas across the country which has led many victims of unjust circumstances to lose properties and liberties.
Established in the year 2015, Vertex Legal Protection Limited says its aim is to provide “affordable and universal access to legal services for Ghanaians from all walks of life.”
The company’s founders say that the inspiration for the company came after noticing the adversity faced by many members of the general public who could not afford legal fees for lawyers and frustration endured by some lawyers in collecting their fees from clients after completion of work.
In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Managing Director of Vertex Legal Protection Limited, Wisdom Boglo said “the drive for Vertex Legal Protection is to be the ultimate partner in the enforcement and defense of the public’s rights by providing affordable access to legal advice and representation through our unique packages.”
The company offers several legal services to its members across two broad categories – the Vertex Individual Plan, which is designated for young adults without dependents, and the Vertex Family Plan, which is designated for adults with a spouse and dependents.
With as little as GH¢32 per month, a member enjoys several benefits of legal services, ranging from tenant-landlord conflicts, motor vehicle cases, criminal defense, employment or labour conflicts, divorce and many others.
On the question of whether or not the company would not be in direct competition with lawyers for their business, Boglo said, “that could not be farther from the truth; our company is not a law firm. We are an incorporated entity providing a very real solution to a very real need existing in our society.”
“Every one of us knows someone who has suffered an injustice because they couldn’t afford a lawyer and just as significantly, there are many lawyers in the industry with meagre incomes because they have not yet broken into the high income bracket”, he noted.
In view of that, he stated “It is our goal to serve as a bridge between these persons in need of affordable legal services whilst paying lawyers fair wages for their work. Lawyers and law firms are therefore our partners in this mission, not competition.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu