Judge warns new attorneys to fiercely guard reputations
WITH CLOUDS hanging over the legal profession, brought on by questionable actions of prominent attorneys in recent times, the latest batch of graduates from the Norman Manley Law School have been given a warning.
The graduation, held on Saturday at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium at Jamaica College in St Andrew, saw 197 students graduating and was attended by senior lawyers in the profession. Justice Paul Webster of the Court of Appeal for the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court was the guest speaker.
But while Webster was subtle in telling the graduates to maintain the “high standards” of the profession, it was Keisha Williams, the class speaker of the 2019 batch, who made the forceful appeal to her colleagues.
“I charge you to guard your integrity and your reputation fiercely and to strive to uphold the principles of honesty and probity,”Williams told the soon-to-be attorneys.
She said that the graduates must make a difference in the legal fraternity and refuse to join those who bring it into disrepute.
“We must give of our service vividly, ferociously, and effectively to solve the many challenges plaguing the legal fraternity and the wider justice system … by spearheading and championing laws that will benefit the most vulnerable and disenfranchised in society, refusing to turn a blind eye to illicit activities of those whose actions threaten to bring the profession into disrepute, engaging in pro bono and legal-aid services for those affected by financial barriers, and becoming the hallmark of skill, competence, and care,” Williams said.
As at May 27, some 61 attorneys have been disbarred since 1978, according to General Legal Council.
And as of June 5, three attorneys were serving suspensions.
In the meantime, the Most Outstanding Student award went to Deniece Beaumont Walters. She also copped the chairman’s prize for having the best performance in Law of Evidence and Forensic Medicine, Remedies, and Civil Procedure and Practice II.