THE Caribbean now has an unprecedented demand for legal services which poses a challenge with facilities for the increasing number of law students.

This was the expressed view of Guyanese Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mr. Anil Nandlall, during remarks delivered to a distinguished gathering of Attorney Generals and other legal representatives from countries around the Caribbean, at yesterday’s opening of the Council of Legal Education meeting at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston.
“We have in the Caribbean now an unprecedented demand for legal services and that demand is being manifested in the number of students who are desirous of pursuing a career in law and in pursuing legal education,” he said.
Mr. Nandlall noted that, as a result, this has created an extremely daunting task of providing adequate accommodation and facilities to accommodate all the students.
He pointed out that the recognition that there is a connection between law and development is perhaps more outstanding now than ever.
“No nation progresses where the legal system is not functioning and that truth apparently is dawning quickly in the Caribbean and, as a result, we see this manifestation in terms of the heavy demand that exists for lawyers and legally trained personnel,” he asserted.
Therefore, he emphasised that this is one of the fundamental challenges that will be addressed at the meeting.
In addition, Minister Nandlall highlighted the importance of continuing the collaboration among the University of Guyana (UG), the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
The Attorney General said he hopes those at the meeting can arrive at positions that will continue the relationship among the institutions, and that will modify and alter the relationship to capture the specific peculiarities and demands which may be made by the different sides.
“I know there are many, many issues that are on the agenda for discussions and I hope that compromises and decisions can be arrived at and many of the difficulties which we have to surmount, many of the tasks which lie ahead, we can make substantial progress in resolving them or at least arrive at some modus operandi on how we will resolve them in the near future,” he remarked.
Nandlall also mentioned that it has been quite some time since a meeting of this type was held in Guyana, noting that the last meeting of the council here was since 1996.
He noted that the council has quite a packed agenda and that the meeting comes at a very exciting time when the challenges faced by the council are diverse and many.
However, the Guyanese Attorney General pointed out that there is also a social agenda for those visiting Guyana, explaining that they will be treated to a visit to a resort up the Demerara River and an Amerindian reservation on Saturday.
“I hope that you take the opportunity to explore Guyana and to enjoy that which we have to offer and I hope that Guyana can be a venue that will accommodate this meeting in greater regularity,” he told the gathering.
Matters on the agenda for yesterday’s meeting included the presentation of several reports, including the Chairman’s report, reports from the Hugh Wooding Law School, Eugene Dupuch Law School and the Norman Manley Law School, and a collaborative agreement among UWI, UG and CLE, among others.