– says new attorney-at-law

By Vishani Ragobeer

NEWLY qualified lawyer Cassandra Forde was admitted to the local bar to practise law, after her petition was presented by attorneys-at-law, Timothy Jonas, Kashir Khan and Joshua Abdool, to Justice Sandra Kurtzious, on December 15.

The 25-year-old Forde recently completed her studies at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) in Trinidad and Tobago and her admission to the bar was, perhaps, the culmination of her journey of pushing past self-doubt and allowing her knowledge, skills and talents to manifest untethered.

Forde, a past student of the St. Joseph High School and Chase’s High school, was not always one of those persons with sights set on the legal profession. In fact, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, she related that she had aspirations of becoming a business consultant, like her father. At least, that was the goal when she left high school and began preparing for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

“I registered for business subjects at Chase’s Academy but Mr. Chase and my dad actually encouraged me to write law as well,” Forde recalled, adding that it just so happened that she excelled at law.

But the academic achievement was not what solidified her interest in the field. It was Magistrate Wanda Fortune, Forde’s tutor at the time, who cultivated that passion for law in the young Forde. And, it was here that she started to find her courage.

Forde explained that she is not a shy person but, for some reason, when it came to her academics, she often second-guessed herself. Fortune’s lessons, which featured impromptu speaking and supportive friends helped the young woman ground herself.

But that environment did not take away all of the self-doubt. At the University of Guyana (UG), when she pursued her Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Forde recalled that she was always putting herself down. She compared herself to persons who she perceived sound more coherent, articulate and just more confident.

By her third and final year at the UG, she realised that she was doing well enough but that didn’t keep the anxiety at bay. So doubtful was she, Forde recollected, that she conditioned herself into thinking that she doesn’t want to complete the legal academic journey at the HWLS. She reasoned with herself that she would just do her Master degree.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t doing well in her academics, no, she was doing great. But there was that looming self-doubt whenever she heard some of her colleagues presenting in class; she felt intimidated. Turns out, she completed her LLB journey in the 10th position of the class. That meant she was part of the Top 25 students from Guyana who would be pursuing their Legal Education Certificate (LEC) at the HWLS.

“I did extremely well at Hugh Wooding but there are certain educational activities like mooting and stuff like that that I did not participate in,” Forde said, reflecting on the past two years she spent in Trinidad. “I really wanted to, but my courage prevented me.”

Still, she was always up to the task; she was President of the Guyana Jurisdiction Committee, on the Executive of the Student Staff Liaison Committee and Events Coordinator for the Cultural and Entertainment committee.

Eventually, she realised that she was continuously selling herself short. That, she knew, had to change. And being on her own in Trinidad (though she found a strong support system in her friends and housemates) taught her to become self-sufficient and more headstrong.

“We don’t see a lot of greatness because a lot of people are scared,” Forde said, adding, “You just have to always put your best foot forward.”

Now, the new attorney is seeking opportunities that can allow her to dabble in various fields of law before settling on the field she wants to direct most of her attention towards. Her biggest aim, however, is to inspire others.

She highlighted that she plans to start her own CAPE Law lessons, wanting to impact other students the same way Ms. Fortune impacted and inspired her.

Of course, she credits her success to God, her parents- who supported her throughout and are overjoyed at having the first attorney in the family and her friends and family.