IN fulfilling a childhood dream, 23-year-old Janet Adeba Ali was, on Thursday, October 24, 2019, admitted to the local bar to practise law in Guyana, adding to the legacy of prominent attorneys in her family.

Ali recently graduated with her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) from the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS), Trinidad. Her petition was presented by her aunt, attorney-at-law, Jamela Ali, to acting Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire at the Demerara High Court. She presented the court with a brief biography of Janet.

Janet attended Graham’s Hall Primary School, where, after completing the National Grade Six Assessment, she secured a placement at Queens College.
Between the years 2014-2017, Janet attended the University of Guyana (UG) where she did pre-law subjects before venturing to where she gained her Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB.)

After completing her LLB, she attended the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and was awarded her Legal Education Certificate (LEC.)

Janet was a legal intern at the Chambers of the DPP, in-service trainee at Denning Chambers and the office of Rex McKay, Senior Counsel and trial attorney for over 50 years.
Coming from a family of lawyers from her paternal side, there are at least four generations of legal practitioners which include her grandfather, aunt, uncle, and cousins.
The newly-admitted attorney is the granddaughter of the late Muntaz Ali, who was a prominent attorney and also a lecturer at the HWLS.
Not forgetting attorney-at-law Mohammed Ravindra Ali, who is also her uncle and also her late great uncle W.D Dinally also known as Amir, who was the first Muslim solicitor in Guyana.

Her cousins are attorney-at-law Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC who is the Director of Public Prosecutions and Elaine Khan, Barrister at law in the United Kingdom, who was formerly a Magistrate in England.

The Chief Justice welcomed Ally to the bar and urged her to commit to the hard work that success entails and to commit to conducting thorough research to serve her clients and the citizens of this nation.

In addressing the court, Ally became emotional as she recounted the hard work and sacrifices that were made for her to become an attorney.

She explained that at a young age she dreamed about becoming an attorney to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather.