Legal Icon Bentsi-Enchill Is Gone

One of Ghana’s most celebrated lawyers, Kojo Bentsi-Enchill, has kicked the bucket at age 73 after a short illness and tributes have started pouring in in memory of him.

He is co-founder of Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah. The firm,  over the weekend, reposted a tribute authored  by Prof Victor Essie for the departed legal brain.

It read: “Kojo [Bentsi-Enchill] must be no more than 73 years. We were class mates together with D. K. Letsa at the Legon Law Faculty. Kojo however joined our class after obtaining his first degree in political science in 1971. We were buddies at the Law School & when he was in NYC in the early 80s. He worked with Ford Foundation as an international human rights program Officer & then later with Sherman & Sterling as a foreign associate for 2 years.

“He never tried to get a green card. He was determined to relocate to Ghana to make a difference which he did. He started his own firm with his debating partner at Legon, Kwaku Letsa. His father, Justice Kwamina Bentsi-Enchill, the author of The seminal work, Ghana Land Law, had in his earlier legal career, established the still existing law firm, Naoferg Chambers, which was inherited by Enoch D. Kom, famous for using his civil procedure wizardry to overcome his adversaries at the bar. Incidentally, Naoferg Chambers was named for Kojo’s paternal grandmother, Naomi Ferguson. Instead of joining his father’s old law firm he chose to set up his own modern law firm. By all accounts, it is arguably the best law firm in Ghana. He set out to improve the legal system itself by building Datacenta into the preeminent digital legal publishing house, publishing the law reports of Ghana as well as legislation & subordinate legislation. He even completed a legal dictionary for Ghana. Kojo was a scholar, a lawyer’s lawyer & kind hearted. I would visit with him in Accra whenever I travelled to Ghana. I will miss him. May his soul Rest In Peace.

Prof. Victor Essien”     

According to information put out by Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah Kojo Bentsi-Enchill the late legal brain is the Senior Partner and Head of the Energy and Natural Resources Practice Group of the firm. He has for many years led much of the firm’s work on oil and gas, power and mining.

Kojo has broad experience in mining and energy issues, corporate transactions and their related security arrangements. He has unrivalled local knowledge and understanding of the issues impacting the mining and energy sectors in Ghana. Kojo has worked on several marquee deals on the Ghanaian market and is a highly regarded corporate lawyer both in Ghana and abroad and has a passionate commitment to providing commercial solutions to client concerns.

Kojo graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon with LL.B. in 1973; Ghana Law School (QCL.,1975). He did Post Graduate Research on Mining Concessions Law, 1874 -1962 at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was awarded the J. Donaldson Bye-Fellowship, 1978-1979. After Cambridge, Kojo worked as an Assistant Program Officer in the International Human Rights at the Ford Foundation, New York between 1982-1984. He then worked as a Foreign Associate with Shearman & Sterling, LLP, and New York from 1984 -1986, he worked in teams involved in international LNG arbitration, and then bank finance. Kojo returned to Ghana in 1988 and set up the firm, which has grown to 8 Partners and 35 Associates.

Kojo’s personal focus is on his wife and 3 children; reading socio-political stuff, researching Ghana legal history; playing, or rather trying to play, classical piano music, and watching terrible action movies.