I am a practicing lawyer, Administrator for a not-for-profit policy advocacy organization and founder of the PocketLaw Project.

For as long as I can remember, social justice has held a special place of interest for me. I believe that the exercise of reason is key to equitable ends. I also believe that the law is the best common instrument for leveling out injustice. Yet the reality is that even with the application of reason and intervention of the law, many people, especially those in relatively weaker socioeconomic and culturally vulnerable circumstances experience unwarranted injustices on a daily basis. Often this is attributable to illiteracy, ignorance of legal rights and potential liabilities, economic incapacity, cultural practices, social discrimination and such others. Place this in the context of operating belief systems and the picture is not pretty, even with the best of laws and intentions.

I am of the view that one of the preconditions for achieving a more equitable society is a sufficiently informed citizenry, armed with knowledge about the laws that impact our lives and the legal options and remedies available to us, not only as a basis for making sound choices but as an enabler of advocacy around existing norms.

The PocketLaw Project, a not-for-profit legal support platform is inspired by this belief and is a contribution to the learning and conversations necessary for the aspiration of a more equitable society. It provides legal information not only on substantive laws but on sources of various forms of legal and psycho-social assistance in one place, in a more enduring form and in a manner that hopefully can be easily understood and utilized. Ultimately the aim is to inform, educate and empower.

Wilma Akuya Osei