FROM a very young age, Frances Carryl knew she was going to be a lawyer and made it evident to everyone around her; then in 2015 when Guyana struck oil, almost as if of natural instinct, she knew she wanted to specialise as an oil-and-gas lawyer in Guyana.
Now after two years at the University of Guyana (UG), two years at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) and another year at the University of Aberdeen, where she completed her Master of Laws in Oil and Gas with distinction, on Wednesday the 24-year-old reached a milestone in her career pursuits when she was admitted to the local bar.
Her petition was presented by Attorney-at-law Ronald Burch-Smith to Justice Sandra Kurtzious, and the West Bank Demerara country girl could not stop smiling as she celebrated her stellar achievement surrounded by her family and friends.

“Getting to this point was not easy. It took God and the concerted effort of my family and friends. I like to say that very little of me is because of me. I am the culmination of what God has allowed to happen to me and for me, and of the efforts of those He allowed to develop me,” the former St Joseph High student gushed as she enjoyed her moment.
While at the HWLS she earned the Phelps and Co. Prize for Best Performance in Civil Procedure and Practice and the Miles Greeves Fitzpatrick S.C. Prize for best performance in Legal Aid By a Guyanese Graduating Student.

During her tenure there she also served as the Constitutional Chairperson of the Guyanese Jurisdictional Committee; was a member of the Constitutional Committee of the Students Representative Council; and a member of the Human Rights Committee. Her parents, Lavern and Francis Carryl, and sister, Tamicola were at her side and it was an all-across-the- board emotional but blissful moment for the family to watch her dreams realised before their eyes. Her father Francis, a labour consultant, recalled that it was even before she wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) that little Frances had already made up her mind that she was going to be a lawyer.
“I remember that many years ago, maybe around 1997, we were on vacation in New York having dinner and someone at the table asked her what she wanted to be and I was shocked when she said an attorney; we never choose for her she chose for herself. She always wanted to do that,” he related.

HEART-WARMING
He shared that he had at one point wanted to be a lawyer himself, and since he never got his chance to see his desire materialise, it warmed his heart to see his little girl take up that mantle.
“It was very emotional. I am very proud that she has been able to achieve what I did not achieve. With her home training, church training I expect her to keep the flags flying very high, do the family proud, do the nation proud,” the father said. He added: “The most touching part is she has been able to complete not only the first part but was able to go on and uplift her masters in oil- and- gas law, which I think is rare in these times, but she is not there for money- making… we’re very happy and proud and hope that she sets the bar and keeps raising the bar within the legal profession.”

Showering praises of gratitude on her parents for supporting her throughout, Frances explained that her fascination with the legal profession started with watching TV shows.
She said: “I grew a natural attraction to the legal profession, firstly through detective shows and mystery series. I loved Judge Judy’s pronunciation of the word, ‘adjudication.’ I really wanted to use that word one day.” Later, as she got older and came to the full understanding of the full gravity of the profession which she hoped to pursue, instead of being daunted her appetite grew even more. “I had a great admiration for the role and function of the law, as a tool that could be used to socially engineer the society, to solve the problems of the populace. I wanted to learn everything there is to know about that tool and then I wanted to apply it for the good of my society,” she explained.

UNWAVERING FOCUS
So, armed with an unwavering focus to be a lawyer, Frances ensured that all of her academic years were aimed straight at it. After writing the NGSA, she attended St Joseph High where she attained Grades Ones and Twos in the 12 subjects she wrote at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). She would go on to sit the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations at Bishops’ High, where she completed seven units and earned an Associate Degree in Humanities, graduating in 2014. Without missing a beat, that same year she commenced her Bachelor of Laws Degree at the University of Guyana, graduating with a distinction in 2017. But even before leaving UG, Frances already knew what kind of lawyer she was going to be. When Guyana hit oil for the first time in 2015, at the time wholly without any human resource in the country to help chart the course of this novel economic sector, Frances took up the call to fill that void. Her research lead her to the University of Aberdeen.

Aberdeen, Scotland , being well known as the off-shore oil capital of Europe, and as perfect a place as any to start if one was looking to learn all they needed to about oil and gas.  But first Frances had to earn her Legal Education Certificate and after finishing UG, she was off to the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad for another two years, graduating in 2019. Once done, she spent her year in Aberdeen, graduating earlier this year. Her mother, Lavern, a headteacher at the St George’s High School, shared that it was not easy sending her baby girl all the way off to Trinidad on her own, but the entire family was committed to seeing her realise her dream. “The biggest challenge was having her be away for three years. That was something I really had to cope with because she’s the baby, but I thank God that it’s over now. But I was confident that she would have done well,” she shared. Lavern shared that she has always admired her daughter’s discipline towards her academics, even from a very young age.