FILLED with an innate desire to help persons through the legal field, 27-year-old Khawn Rodney was admitted to the bar on November 26, after completing his studies at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) earlier this year.

Rodney’s petition was presented by attorney-at-law, Nikhil Ramkarran to Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln. In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, he expressed how happy he was to complete his legal studies and be an attorney-at-law.

But Rodney was not always intent on pursuing studies in the legal field. In fact, he was a student of the sciences all through high school at the Mae’s Secondary and up until ‘A’ Levels at the School of the Nations. His aim was to become a medical doctor.

Somewhere along his journey though, he decided that this was not the field he wanted to pursue, and he began pursuing law.

“Despite not having a passion for law at the said time, what I do know is whatever I set out to do, I put my best foot forward and aim to do it to the best of my ability.”

Rodney first studied sociology for one year at the University of Guyana (UG), before entering into the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) programme. Upon completing his LL.B in 2018, and graduating in the top 25 of his class, he left to attend the HWLS in Trinidad and Tobago to read for his Legal Education Certificate (LEC).

“The more I studied law over the years, my appreciation and passion grew for it as well,” the young lawyer said, adding later, “It felt good being a part of a cause to give back to the less fortunate as well, ensuring that they too have access to justice and are not precluded because of financial constraints.”

Rodney related that during his time at the HWLS, as a Student-Attorney at the Legal Aid Clinic, he was able to assist “real clients with real issues.”

He recalled working with single mothers who were filing for maintenance with fathers and women who were victims of domestic violence and went to the clinic seeking legal aid to obtain restraining orders.

“Those were just some matters where you needed to act with a sense of urgency,” he reflected.

Though he acknowledged that his prior desire of becoming a medical doctor was perhaps one of the ways he believed he could help people, the time he has dedicated to volunteering over the years is what led him to law.

“Being of service to people sparked that inner desire in me to serve people further,” Rodney said. And this, he believes, is what he will endeavour to continue throughout his career.

Rodney is not interested in corporate law or serving as an in-house counsel for companies. Instead, he said, “I want to work for the people and serve people.”

Apart from the legal studies and experiences he was exposed to, another highlight is his experience living and attending school in a foreign country.

“I was now independent and got to experience the way of life in a foreign country. This also opened up the opportunity for me to interact and learn about the cultures of other law students from across the region. I am fortunate to now say that I have close friends across the region now.”

As with all things, however, the journey was not without challenges. Rodney recalled that there were numerous sleepless nights and breakdowns which he faced without the comfort of his loved ones. Towards the end of his LEC journey, too, the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications took a toll on his mental health.

“Above all, perseverance was definitely a key attribute one had to possess to successfully complete the final year at law school,” he said.

Additionally, he shared that his family and friend support system was crucial to his success too. During those turbulent times when Rodney felt as though he was “succumbing” to the journey, his family believed in him and his friends provided him with much-needed support.

Now that he is an attorney-at-law, he offered some advice to any student who is considering a legal profession as well.

“Just how law students get their rewards, I think they should not shy away from their challenges but they should embrace their challenges also,” Rodney said.

“When you overcome challenges, inevitably, this builds character, you gain knowledge and you gain skills which will allow you to be exemplary attorneys-at-law in the future.”

Beyond just law, Rodney emphasised that once you learn how to persevere through the challenges, you will be successful in any endeavour.

Currently, the attorney-at-law is hoping to garner as much court exposure as he possibly can, whether it is working with the public legal sector or through private firms.