Five Senior Counsel admitted to Inner Bar
The newly appointed Senior Counsel with (seated from to left to right) Chief Justice, Roxane George SC; Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Court of Appeal Judge, Dawn Gregory. Also picture several judges and lawyers
The newly appointed Senior Counsel with (seated from to left to right) Chief Justice, Roxane George SC; Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Court of Appeal Judge, Dawn Gregory. Also picture several judges and lawyers

THE five recently appointed Senior Counsel, including Attorney General and Minster of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, were, on Tuesday, admitted to the Inner Bar during a special Full Court sitting held at the Victoria Law Courts.
Nandlall, Jamela Ali, Timothy Jonas, Stanley Moore and Roysdale Forde appeared before Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards; Chief Justice, Roxane George SC, and judges of the Court of Appeal and the High Court.
On December 22, another Senior Counsel, Mursaline Bacchus, was inducted into the Inner Bar during a special sitting of the Full Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

The Attorney General and Minster of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC and Jamela Ali SC

Prominent attorney, Ralph Ramkarran SC in presenting Nandlall’s petition said he “has a degree of passion for the legal profession that I have seen in few with that passion combined with the position he holds we expect a great leap in developments regarding the administration of justice and the development of law.”
Nandlall presented the petitions for the others.
In his address he spoke of the positive impact the profession has had on life.
“Everything that I have achieved in my life was achieved through my practice of the law,” he said, before explaining that being a good lawyer helped him to become a well-rounded AG and Member of Parliament.

He used the occasion to emphasise the importance of the legal profession to Guyana’s emerging oil and gas and hotel industries.
“In the coming year, a complete body of new oil and gas related legislation will be enacted. Many are currently in draft. A completely modern arbitration architecture is currently a work in progress. A new legislation in relation to hotel and the hospitality sector will have to be enacted. These include, legislation of condominiums, strong houses, zoning and in relation to commercial and industrial use of land. These are all new legislation…which will require extensive training and, in some cases, even specialised screening beginning with law students, lawyers and judges alike [in] the immediate future,” he said.

The Attorney General and Minster of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC and Jamela Ali SC

The Chief Justice highlighted High Court judge, Nareshwar Harnanan’s recent dismissal of an application filed by Jonas, challenging the legality of the four SC appointments made by former President, David Granger, last year.
Justice Harnanan had ruled that the President, as Guyana’s supreme executive authority, is vested with the exclusive prerogative to confer legal practitioners with silk.
The judge, in his ruling, sided with the submissions made by Nandlall, who had contended that proceedings like these would give rise to novel issues in Guyanese jurisprudence not previously canvassed in a significant way.

The CJ also gave a brief background about the contributions made by the quintet thus far to the legal fraternity and the courts.
Moore was admitted to the Bar in 1970. His distinguished career encapsulated private practice and contributions to the public service. He was a lecturer and a jurist serving not only here in Guyana and in the Caribbean, but internationally as a Justice of Appeal in Botswana and a judge in Swaziland.
It was noted that Ali graduated from Law School in 1989 and in the same year she was admitted to the bar. She is the second Muslim to be conferred with silk; the first being her cousin, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack.
“I remember her as one who did not allow anyone to make negative comments about Guyanese students or Guyana. She is a very able practitioner who has shown leadership in championing mediation as a means of alternative dispute resolution. She has worked with the bench in promoting this mechanism to resolve cases in the court system,” the CJ said.

GOOD RESEARCHERS
Jonas who was admitted to the local Bar in 1996, is a senior partner of the De Caires, Fitzpatrick and Karran law firm. He brings to the senior Bar, a high level of scholarship having been mentored by the late Miles Fitzpatrick SC.
The CJ noted that she is certain that Jonas will continue this tradition of mentoring junior attorneys. She also highlighted Jonas’ capacity for research and well-known advocacy skills.
“He is extremely thorough and meticulous and can be relied on to be of immeasurable assistance to the court,” she added.
Further, the court heard that Forde was admitted to practice in 1997 and has distinguished himself by his capacity to conduct research and his advocacy in the presentation of his cases.
Nandlall was admitted to the bar in 1998 and can truly be said to have made a mark on the legal profession of Guyana not because he is now twice appointed as Attorney General, but because of his capacity to bring interesting public law cases to the court.
“He too is well researched and extremely helpful to the court. He is an extremely good advocate and ably represent his clients whether in private practice or …on behalf of the State,” the CJ added.

Meanwhile, President of the Bar Association of Guyana, Teni Housty, said that many lawyers aspire to be afforded this honour which is not to be taken lightly, since it requires hard work, diligence and a propensity for scholarship and leadership at the Bar.
In October, the Office of the President (OP) announced that Nandlall and Jonas will be appointed Senior Counsel with effect from October 30.
The announcement, OP had said, followed consultations the Chancellor and President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
“Their appointments are due to their demonstrable knowledge of, and learning in the law, and on account of their exemplary erudition and diligence in the practice of the law, and, by virtue of their distinguished contributions to the growth and development of Guyana’s jurisprudence and constitutional democracy,” the OP statement had noted.
On December 17, President Ali presented Nandlall, Jonas and Ali with their instrument of appointment during a simple ceremony held at State House.

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