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Jun 08, 2019 News
By Feona Morrison
Court sessions scheduled for yesterday were suspended at the High Court in Demerara where a special sitting of the Full Cou
rt was held to honour the five recently appointed Senior Counsel (SC). The careers of those honoured span over 120 years.
Those elevated to silk robe and admitted to the Inner Bar are Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack, Mr. Stephen Fraser, Mrs. Carole James-Boston, Mr. Robert Ramcharran and Mr. Rajendra Poonai.
Yesterday, Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings-Edwards, Chief Justice Roxane George, Justices of Appeal, several puisne’ judges of the High Court, retired judges, Attorney General Basil Williams S.C., Speaker of the National Assembly, Barton Scotland and several members of the legal fraternity joined the honourees’ relatives and friends in celebrating their milestone.
Williams was tasked with presenting the newly appointed Senior Counsel to the Full Court. He explained that the longstanding lawyers are versed in several areas in law. Added to that, he said that there has never been a complaint about their conduct to the Legal Practitioners Committee.
Williams disclosed that Mrs. Ali-Hack was able to pursue her legal studies with the aid of a government scholarship she obtained in 1986.
Further, the Attorney General noted that in her over 10 years as DPP, Mrs. Ali-Hack has remained fair and impartial. She has appeared in over 100 cases at the High Court and Court of Appeal. He said that the DPP has lectured to Magistrates and lawyers and was pivotal in the establishment of the Sexual Offences Court in Demerara and Berbice, as well as the drafting of the Code for Prosecutors.
According to Williams, Mr. Fraser has been admitted to practice in countries a part of Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
The Attorney General added that Mr. Fraser’s legal practice has taken him to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and the Judicial Privy Council (JPC). Mr. Fraser, who he said has a wealth of knowledge and experience, is a managing partner in the Fraser, Housty and Yearwood Law Firm.
Williams said that Mr. Ramcharran served as a clerk in the Magistrate’s Courts before being admitted as a mature student to study law at the University of Guyana (UG). Upon completion of his Legal Education Certificate (LEC), Williams said that Mr. Ramcharran went into private practice. He was also appointed a Magistrate.
Williams told the Full Court that Mr. Ponai is known for integrity, competency and professionalism.
He added that this Senior Counsel is also the holder of a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Economics and is a qualified Arbitrator. He was also elected as a committee member of the Guyana Bar Association in 2017.
Mrs. James-Boston, Williams said, obtained her law degree from the University of the West Indies and works as a partner at the Boston and Boston Law Firm. He stated that she has a wealth of knowledge and is specialized in areas such as family, commercial, land and estate law.
She was one of the founding members of the Guyana Association of Women’s Lawyers (GAWL) which was founded in 1987 with the primary aim of giving legal advice and assistance to women in the society.
Describing the ceremony as an auspicious one, Justice George reminded the Senior Counsel of their obligations to the bar, bench and legal fraternity in assisting that justice is dispense in a fair manner. Justice George, who herself is a Senior Counsel, said that the title of Senior Counsel is bestowed on eminent jurist who have displayed a high quality of service in the legal profession, and also in their knowledge on the law.
According to Justice George, Senior Counsel are essentially the backbone of the legal profession and should continue to guide and mentor junior lawyers whom she acknowledged for turning out in their numbers yesterday.
The Chief Justice said, “It is important for junior counsel to appreciate the importance of ceremonies like this…It is necessary for junior lawyers to understand the importance of commanding respect in the profession…”
The Chief Justice reminisced on her interactions with the new senior counsel. She spoke of their unselfishness and their thirst for exploring the law. She also spoke of their passion for research, reliability and Mrs. Ali-Hack’s advocacy for women’s rights.
All the Senior Counsel was given a chance to address the forum. They detailed their struggles and high points in getting where they are. They all promised to uphold the values and morals of this noble profession and pledged their support towards Guyana’s jurisprudence.
Recently elected President of the Guyana Bar Association, Teni Housty, extended congratulations to the new Senior Counsel and committed to working with them. However, Housty stressed that there needs to be more clarity and certainty in the appointment process of Senior Counsel. According to him, the absence of these undermines the appointment process.
The ceremony concluded with remarks by Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette Cummings-Edwards. She urged the new Senior Counsel to build on their strengths, to sharpen their competency and to continue giving advice to junior lawyers and judges.
The Chancellor advised them to identify those areas that are lacking in the justice system.
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