GUYANA is now one step closer to establishing a law school here through the Council of Legal Education (CLE) of the West Indies, Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall S.C., disclosed on Sunday.

This development occurred during a meeting with the council in Bridgetown, Barbados, last week.

In a press release, Nandlall emphasised that Guyana has been trying to establish a law school within its jurisdiction for almost three decades.

During the meeting he presented a case for establishment of the council’s law school in Guyana.

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Yonnette Cummings-Edwards and attorneys-at-law, Teni Housty and Kamal Ramkarran representing the Guyana Bar Association, supported the Attorney-General’s presentation, the release said.

It added that in his presentation, the Attorney-General said that unlike a proposal which was made by his predecessor, Basil Williams S.C., which was rejected by the council, the Government of Guyana is proposing that the law school be an institution that is managed and administered by the CLE.

With this proposal, it was stated that the government will provide the land and buildings based on the criteria and specifications set by the council.

The release said that the request was favourably considered and the CLE made a decision to write the Government of Guyana shortly on the decision and the setting of criteria and other requirements which the government will have to satisfy.

This initiative merges into the government’s commitment to promote Guyana as an attractive offshore education destination. The proposed law school is expected to attract students from across the region and farther afield and will ease the overloading that currently occurs at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, the release added.

The council has a third school, the Eugene Dupuch Law School, which is located in Nassau, Bahamas.