Burch-Smith re-elected Bar Association President

Jun 03, 2014 News

Mr. Ronald Burch-Smith was re-elected President of the Guyana Bar Association at its Annual General Meeting on Friday.
Also re-elected were Vice- Presidents, Ms. Sadie Amin and Ms. Melinda Janki; Secretary, Christopher Ram; Treasurer Ms. Ramona Rookhum; Assistant Secretary/TreasurerMohamed R. Ali and Council Members Ms. Abiola Wong-Inniss, Ms. Emily Dodson, Llewellyn John, Timothy Jonas and Teni Housty. The only new member of the Council is Mr. Sase Gunraj.
The reports of the President, the Secretary and the audited annual financial statements for the years ended April 30, 2013 and 2014 were approved by the best attended AGM of the Bar Association for years.
In his written report for the year Mr. Burch-Smith touched on the resignation of Court of Appeal Judge Rabi Sukul who had been appointed only a few months earlier from the United Kingdom where he had been residing for decades.
Mr. Burch-Smith called for amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys and the Legal Practitioners Act to strengthen the profession and for increasing the membership.
He identified as priorities continuing education and discipline, internal and external communications and promoting the rule of law particularly in matters of interest to the public.
Ms. Rookhum reported that the Association had turned a surplus for the past year on a reduced level of expenditure. Ram’s report covered the Association’s principal activities for that year but noted that the efficacy of the Association was seriously affected by the absence of any administrative support staff.
He referred to the possibility of the Bar Association being designated the supervisory authority for the profession under the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism Act.
Following his re-election Mr. Burch-Smith committed the new Council to heightened activity the discharge of its functions and the pursuit of the priorities identified in his 2013/2014 report.