Women now comprise the majority in the legal profession

Feb 04, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
On the 27th January, 2016 Mr. C.M.L John was 91 years old and he is now 64 years in practice. This makes him a senior Counsel by years of Practice and not by legal recognition . I can recall in 1952 when he was admitted as a Solicitor, there were only two female Solicitors in practice at that time. Ms. Hyacinth Bleaser who from my personal knowledge became a Solicitor in New Amsterdam, Berbice in the mid 1940’s. Later another Berbician Ms. Luckhoo had become a Solicitor. She came from the famous Luckhoo family who are well known Lawyers from Berbice. These were the only two practicing Lawyers up to 1950. The oldest female Lawyer in Guyana now is Ms. Elvy Edwards, I understand she is in her 90’s and has just retired last December. The late Mr. Fred Wills S.C. who was once Minister of Foreign Affairs was a very marvelous gentleman. He did excellently in legal practice and has been responsible for actually teaching a lot of young ladies and men in the afternoons to become Lawyers and have been able to produce from among them a lot of prominent Lawyers such as Ms. Desiree Bernard , Ms. Natalie Agard- Stephenson, Mr. Stanley Moore and the late Ms. Norma Jackman. In the early 1960’s two other female were admitted to practice; Ms. Sheila Chapman Minister Raphael Trotman’s mother and the late Ms. Shirley Field- Ridley who later became Mrs. Green, the wife of Mayor Hamilton Green.
Today the legal profession is flooded with women Lawyers who overtime have made their mark. As far as I can recall Ms. Claudette La Bennett was the first female Attorney-at­-law who ever prosecuted a criminal cases for the DPP at the Criminal Assizes . She later became a Magistrate and then a High Court Judge and is now retired.
Today we have a retired Chancellor Ms. Deserie Bernard, an Acting Chief Justice Ms. Cummings Edward and (5) five female Judge in the High Court Justice Gregory, George, Insanally, Kurtzious and Barlow.
The Magistracy is actually taken over by women. There are more female Magistrates than male. Looking at this entire change in the legal profession where there are more female legal practitioners in the field. It can clearly be said that the legal profession in Guyana is dominated by women.
However, to date there has never ever been appointed a female Senior Counsel. This leads me to ask the question what principles the Justice system in Guyana uses to appoint Senior Counsels.
In the good old days that is going back to the 1940’s to the 1970’s when people like Sir Lionel Luckhoo, Mr. Edward Luckhoo, Mr. Ashton Chase, Mr. Miles Fitzpatrick, Mr. Donald Robertson, Mr. Keith Massiah, Mr. Clarence Hughes, Mr. Bryn Pollard, Mr. Desmond Hoyte, Mr. Rex Mc Kay,  Mr. Bhairo, Persaud etc These named persons have all been admired both in the way they practiced their profession and also how they conducted themselves in public.
Having said that I would like to know how female Lawyers in Guyana have ever been appointed Senior Counsel and why a prominent person like Mr. C.M.L. John and the late Mr. Benjamin Gibson have never been appointed as such.
Mr. C.M.L John has been both an excellent Solicitor and Lawyer. He has been involved in several leading cases in land Law and Civil Law, Electoral Law. He even was involved in drafting the electorate law for a Caribbean Island.
Guyana is now at a point of serious development and I am urging all concerned to take a serious look at a number of issues and this is why I take time to voluntarily write letters in the newspapers to bring attention to matter which I feel will help to make Guyana to a better Country.
Now in the good old days Senior Counsel was given to Lawyers holding certain positions such as Solicitor General, Attorney General, Dir4ector of Public Prosecution and Chief Justice. Two of these positions are now held by females the Solicitor General and the DPP. Also we have retired Justice of Appeal Honorable Claudette Singh who is still active. There is also a prominent female Attorney at Cameron & Shepherd and Ms. Elvy Edwards the oldest female Barrister-at-law. Do none of these women qualify to be appointed Senior Counsel. There are female Senior Counsels in Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica and elsewhere is the Caribbean but none in Guyana a Country known for outstanding Lawyers.
In an earlier letter I made a suggestion that Judges should have young Lawyers to assist them in their research and this will help in written decisions in civil matter handed down without delay.
I would like to make a further suggestion that before Magistrates are appointed they should undergo some training as how to handle cases. This can be done easily. At present we have retired Justice Perry and Justice Claudette Singh from the Court of Appeal, Justice Claudette La Bennett and other retired Judges from the High Court. I feel that they could form an advisory group to assist in making the legal profession more professional and respectable by training Magistrate before they take the Bench so as Magistrate and Clerks at the High Court Registry Development needs intensive professional and legal advice.
Jonas Coddett
Attorney-at-law

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