The Lawyer's Office

It was day three (October 4, 2007) in Accra, Ghana when I first came into contact with a Ghanaian lawyer.

Splitting away from a few of our other JHR team members, and dragging one of them (Hannah) along, Alison and I set off with Joseph - our JHR tour guide and first Ghanaian friend - to meet Jane, our soon to be new roommate from the U.S., our real estate agent, and a lawyer at his office.

The purpose of the meeting was to settle the contract for our first home in the Ghana. Our home believe it or not, would be a four bedroom house in Labadi (one neighbourhood in Accra), right in the heart of the local life. It would be to date the largest house I have ever lived in that was not owned by my parents.

Running on Ghanaian time, we were, of course, late for the lawyer’s meeting having first met with our JHR country director, Ato, for breakfast during which he provided us with a rundown of our expected duties over the next eight months once placed at our respective media outlets.

Jane had insisted the day before that we be no later than 11am but by the time we had exchanged our US money for Cedis, the local currency, and withdrew enough Cedis in cash from two different bank machines (bank machines here only allow you to withdraw $200 or $400 Cedis at a time) for rent ... it was 11:45am. In Accra, landlords expect you to pay up to a year’s rent upfront in cash – we were lucky to score a six month deal. For me this meant having more than $1000 Cedis in my wallet, or just under US $1000.

Jane was unimpressed when we arrived, but blamed Joseph instead of us, since he was responsible for getting us there on time. The real estate agent led us (Joseph, Jane, Alison, Hannah and myself) along the edge of a busy main road – Ring Road, which is more like a highway actually – down a dirt path to a dilapidated white concrete building that looked like it was either being built or torn down, the frame clearly visible.

Up the stairs we filed through a doorway into the lawyer’s office. The interior was a complete contradiction to the view from outside. The reception/waiting area was decked out in mahogany wood with leather couches and back copies of the Daily Graphic- one of Ghana’s major daily newspapers, scattered across a glass-top coffee table. Joseph and Hannah took a seat while Jane, Alison, the real estate agent and I were led into the lawyer’s office.

There the lawyer sat behind a large L-shaped mahogany desk, files piled high on top of each other. What looked like more than a decade old computer sat to the man’s left and behind him on a bookcase was his portrait in traditional dress, the robe and long, curly white wig. Today, he looked far more casual dressed in a dress shirt and tie, spectacles and a mushroom shaped black hair. Though intimidating in stature seated behind that grand desk, he was very pleasant and accommodating and I felt at ease after shaking his hand. My secure feeling however was not to last long.

Since Jane found this house a few weeks prior to our arrival there had been several issues to straighten out and negotiations to be made including the monthly rent amount, how many rooms were available and what amenities would be included. Things were even more complicated since the real estate agent was taking care of business for the actual landlord who lives in London, UK. Though I trusted Jane, since she had lived in Accra for two years, I had a very strong feeling this was not going to be a sign on the dotted line and shut the door behind you type of meeting.

So, the discussions began.

Firstly, it was when Alison’s room would be ready. Junk needed to be cleared out, the walls needed to be painted, a bed to be bought, a bar in the closet and air conditioner installed and curtains hung. Jane argued with agent as he tried to postpone, alter or dodge these jobs. Jane persisted, the lawyer supported her and the he eventually confirmed the jobs would get done.

Next came the issue of how the landlord wanted the rent to be paid. We had $1000US in cash – from our other U.S. roommate, Grace, who could not attend the meeting - and the rest in Cedis. The landlord apparently wanted the entire amount in US dollars. Of course, Alison and I had just converted our US dollars to the local currency and it's not possible to get US currency out of the bank machines. If Jane had known this she would have simply transferred money from her UK bank account to the landlords.

The lawyer was having none of this and ordered the agent to get the landlord on the phone. The debate was on. The lawyer’s clerk – a skinny, hunched back man - was called into the office and asked how much US cash was on hand in the office. Alison and I exchanged looks of horror as Jane calculated and argued the US$400 loss if we were to convert all our Cedis back to dollars.

While several phone calls and stern conversations were exchanged between the agent, our landlord and the lawyer, Jane, Alison and I counted, recounted and bundled into $100 piles a total of $4800 Cedis in a mix of 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 Cedis bills.

An hour and a half later (we were now late for a lunch meeting with Ato), everything appeared to be settled.The contract would be drawn up by the lawyer and brought to the house in a few days for us to sign. Alison’s room would be ready the next day – cleared out, painted with a double bed set-up, while the closet, air conditioner and curtains would come early the next week. The landlord's sister - who lives with her family next door and shares the gated entrance, driveway and front patio - would come by to do an inventory of all the items in the house, which is fully furnished, early the next day.

So, we handed over the 4” thick wad of cash. The lawyer handled and flipped through it in disbelief adding “That is a lot of money”, struggling to count out the adequate amount for the bed, air conditioner, paint and other materials needed to fix up Alison’s room.

Next was counting out one month’s rent required for the real estate agent’s fee. Jane knew exactly what to do. Count the money out, but hold onto it until all the jobs were done, leaving the agent dissatisfied, but speechless.

And so with keys in hand Alison, Jane and I left the office and I breathed a sigh of relief having just confirmed accommodation for at least the next six months ... and it was only day three.

Another solid handshake and gentle smile from the lawyer sealed the deal for me.