WHEN faced with an injustice, receiving the justice deserved is priority, but an important part of receiving that justice is getting the right representation if the matter ends up in the legal system.

In this regard, lawyers play a vital role in ensuring persons get an equal opportunity to receiving legal justice. It is for this very reason that 24-year-old Jinelle Thomas knew, from a very young age, that she wanted to become a lawyer.

Last Tuesday, she saw her aspiration come through when she was admitted to the bar, taking her bar call before her idol, Chief Justice (ag), Roxanne George. Her petition was presented by Attorney-at-law, Everton Singh-Lammy.

“For as long as I can remember when anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I was older, my response was ‘I want to be a lawyer’,” The Bishops’ High alum shared in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

“As a child I watched a lot of crime shows and I always admired the way attorneys prepared for cases and the way seemingly helpless people would be able to have their problems resolved in the end and that really sparked my interest in studying the law, so that I can be able to assist and be a voice for those whose rights are being violated.”

Thomas took her bar call surrounded by family members, including her mother, Rayan Thomas; brother, Justin; grandparents; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and colleagues from the Hugh Wooding Law School, where Jinelle completed her final years in her journey to that climaxing moment.

Thomas attended the Hugh Wooding Law School from 2020 – 2022, after attaining her Bachelor’s of Law Degree from the University of Guyana (UG) from 2017 – 2020. And as most lawyers would always say, it is no easy road getting there, but the commitment outweighs the work.

“It never occurred to me just how tedious and gruelling the road ahead of me would be but I embarked upon this journey, nevertheless. It was the path that I was meant to trod. I was determined to make my childhood dream a reality,” Thomas shared.

After completing her secondary education at The Bishop’s High School where she successfully passed 13 subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and nine units at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), Thomas often worried about how she would finance her dream, being fully aware of how expensive a legal education can be.

All the more worrying was her mother became a single parent after her father died in a car accident in 2012. Though her father’s death took a toll on her, Thomas was all the more determined to see her aspirations through.

LUCK ON HER SIDE
Lucky for her, she would receive the help she needed from the government.

“As my days at UG began counting down, my new concern was how will I be able to foot the cost of law school? This caused me many sleepless nights but that quickly vanished when I received a full scholarship to complete my studies at the Hugh Wooding Law School, and for this, I am grateful to the Government of Guyana,” she explained.

As she worked on achieving her necessary academic qualifications, Thomas also spent some time building her experience through holding a number of positions, including an internship at the law firm DeCaires, Fitzpatrick & Karran in 2017.

From 2019 to 2020, she worked as an assistant at the Ministry of Legal Affairs, before working as a paralegal on the Support for the Criminal Justice System Project. She also worked as a Legal Assistant and Junior Attorney at the 1966 Law firm.

As her journey to becoming a lawyer neared, Thomas related that her last few years were more difficult because she attended the Hugh Wooding Law School entirely online. She entered the school just as the world began dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Completing law school completely online was not an easy feat. It was accompanied by many back aches and eye pain from sitting in a chair and staring at a computer screen for four and sometimes six hours a day. Online studies became mentally overwhelming, trying to balance the insurmountable amount of work with the feelings of despair and isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

But even then, she said her support team came to her rescue and she feels very grateful to her many friends who were there for her during the difficult journey.

“To say that I could not have made it out of law school without their support is a drastic understatement. They were always a message or call away at any hour of the day or night to calm me down and offer words of reassurance in my deepest moments of self-doubt and confusion,” she said.

SUPPORT SYSTEM
She also credits her success to the huge support system in her family, particularly the support from her mother.

“I was blessed to be born into a family that fostered and nurtured all of my interests, especially my interest in the legal profession and one that encouraged me and did everything they could to help me realise my dream,” Thomas related.

“To my mother, Rayan Thomas, I share this achievement with you.  You have supported me without hesitation or question in everything I set my mind to do and I simply do not have enough tongues to express my gratitude for you and the role you have played in my achievements. I love you.”

Also sharing about memories of her daughter’s journey to becoming a lawyer, Rayan spoke about how hard it has been for her raising her two children as a single mother. She was however determined to never let her daughter give up on her dream to be a lawyer.

“I’ve always tried to be her support morally, emotionally as well as financially. I remember days of sleeping in the car on the tarmac of the University of Guyana waiting for her to finish her classes. Juggling Jinelle and her brother and all the responsibility of being a single mom wasn’t easy but I thank God for the commitment of seeing them through school, and seeing her becoming an attorney today,” the proud mother said.

Aside from thanking her family and friends, Thomas said most of all she owes her success to GOD.

“None of it would be possible without God. I can assure everyone that if it were up to my strength alone, I would not be where I am today. It is He brought me here,” she expressed.