New lawyer admitted to the Bar
Diane Barker with Justice Sandra Kurtzious and her children following her admittance to the Bar
Diane Barker with Justice Sandra Kurtzious and her children following her admittance to the Bar

Newly qualified lawyer Diane Barker was last Thursday admitted to the bar before Justice Sandra Kurtzious, after Attorney-at-Law Leslie Sobers presented her petition in the High Court.

In her admission remarks, Barker informed the court that she would strive to uphold the tenets of the noble profession, and hopefully her quality of work would one day lead to improvement of the jurisprudence in Guyana.

“In all the challenges I faced during this journey, I learnt that God was the driving force that propelled me to arrive at my destination. It is (because of) that belief that I have viewed nothing as a struggle, but (as) an experience to shape me into the strong woman I strive every day to become,” she said.

Barker also thanked her relatives and friends for their unconditional love and support during her journey.

The newly-admitted lawyer was born in Georgetown to Randolph and Ederle Barker. After completing her primary education, she attended the Covent Garden Secondary School and completed her secondary education. In 1997, she was one of 10 persons selected by the Government of Guyana, in collaboration with the University of Guyana and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to pursue training in Court Reporting. She was trained to operate the stenographic machine to take verbatim notes of judges summing up in the courts of Guyana.

After completing her training in 1999, Diane worked at the Supreme Court of Judicature as a trained Court Reporter, and during this period, her passion and love for the law was birthed. In her quest to pursue higher education, Barker attended the University of Guyana and read for a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB). She completed the programme in 2006, and passed with credit.

On completion of the programme, Barker was offered a place at the Hugh Wooding Law School, but due to financial constraints, she was unable to accept that offer.

Between 2006 and 2014, she worked at the Chambers of Moore, Harmon Sobers and Gaskin as a Legal Research Assistant and a Legal Clerk, where she gained a wealth of experience in the law.

In her quest to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming an Attorney, Barker wrote the entrance exam offered by the Council of Legal Education for entry into Hugh Wooding Law School, and was successful. She then proceeded to Trinidad and Tobago to commence reading for her Legal Education Certificate, which she was awarded on September 2, 2016.

Barker is the mother of two children and is an ardent Christian.

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