THE five-newly appointed Senior Counsel, Robert Ramlochan Ramcharran, Carole James-Boston, Stephen Granville Newton Fraser, Rajendra Nath Poonai and Shalimar Isha Ali-Hack, were on Friday admitted to the inner bar by the full court of the Supreme Court of Judicature.

Court One of the High Court was packed to capacity with lawyers, former judges, magistrates, family, friends and well-wishers, as Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams SC., read the petitions of the Counsel.

Williams gave the full court a plethora of reasons why the phenomenal five should be accepted to the inner bar. He cited their many achievements and cases won and appeared in since joining the noble profession.

He also pointed to their years of experience, using that too as reason why the batch is deserving of admission.

Ramcharran was admitted to the bar in November 1979; James-Boston in October 1985; Fraser in November of 1985; Poonai in October 1988; and Ali-Hack in October 1990.
Senior Counsel Vidyanand Persaud welcomed the new batch to the inner bar. He said it is refreshing to note that two out of the five are females. “This is a significant slice. In the United Kingdom, only 14.8 per cent of the Queen’s Counsel are women,” Persaud said.
In addition, Ali-Hack was said to be the first female Muslim lawyer in Guyana to wear the hijab and appear at the bar.

President of the Bar Association, Teni Housty, stressed the importance of parity and transparency in maintaining the integrity of any legal process.
In response to their admission, the Senior Counsel shared their individual stories about their journey in the legal profession. This included fond memories and light jokes that kept the courtroom alive.

Acting Chief Justice (CJ), Roxane George-Wiltshire, told the Senior Counsel that their position was originally appointed to be the monarch’s counsel, who is learned in law.
“But the term is also recognised as being honorific. Since the members wear silk gowns in a particular design, the award of SC informally known as ‘taking silk’, and these counsel are sometimes referred to as silks,” the chief justice said.
She took the opportunity to emphasise the symbiotic relationship between the bench and bar, and the responsibility of the bar to ably assist the bench in efficiently dispensing justice.

“Be and continue to be advocates, not only in court, but the various public spheres as we seek to improve the administration of justice and the court system as a whole,” George-Wiltshire admonished.

The chief justice (ag) noted their competence in the delivery of law and justice, citing many known cases the five senior counsel played part in.

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Yonette Cummings-Edwards, in endorsing the sentiments of the chief justice (ag), said the senior counsels can serve as guides to improve the justice system in Guyana.