Passionate about youth development, advocacy and volunteerism

EDEN Corbin, a cheerful young attorney in training, is optimistic about his role in the Guyanese legal fraternity, with a primary focus on youth advocacy, pro bono work for locals, and his growing interest in politics.

Corbin told Pepperpot Magazine that he was a student of Queen’s College and wasn’t very fond of science subjects. By the time he was in third form, he was encouraged to pursue a career as an attorney, as he was the one who would engage in detailed debates.

He opted to pursue a career in the business field and also studied social studies and history. He wrote 13 subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and was successful.

Corbin left Queen’s College in 2014 to attend The Bishop’s High School, and it was then that he was given a work-study attachment at the Parliament Office.

He was among the second batch of students and, at first, he was at Hansard, then moved on to the Public Relations section. During this time, he found he thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to learn more.

In 2015, Corbin was selected to be the Prime Minister in Youth Parliament during the APNU administration and he took his role seriously.

It was when he got to rub shoulders with the real Members of Parliament (MPs) that he came to the realisation it was what he wanted to do. It felt right, and he had a vested interest in it.

Corbin, an attorney in waiting, enrolled at the St. Augustine Campus in the West Indies to pursue his Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB), a three-year programme that was sponsored.

He, however, opted to return to Guyana after his sponsorship ended due to financial constraints, to work and raise funds to complete his legal education abroad.

Corbin told the Pepperpot Magazine that while he was studying overseas, two things happened in his favour. One, he was elected to the Guild of Students of the University of the West Indies and was the Chair of the International Affairs Committee as a first-year student who competed with second-year rivals and won.

When he returned to Guyana, he went to the Parliament Office to engage them in launching the Youth Mentorship Programme and worked closely with the Clerk of the Assembly, Sherdel Isaacs, to whom he reported and from whom he sought guidance.

He pitched the idea to have all levels of students, including those pursuing tertiary education, participate in Youth Parliament to make their contributions in 2017.

Corbin had to depart from that scene and moved on to other things. In 2019, he was employed by Attorney-at-Law, Dr. Dexter Todd, who was at the time seeking support staff to conduct research.

He transferred successfully to the University of Guyana (UG), where he completed his degree in law and went on to pursue his Master of Laws in Trinidad and Tobago at the Hugh Wooding Law School.

Corbin got his Legal Education Certificate and returned to Guyana to work and serve his community.

Presently, he is waiting on the final list to be submitted to the local bar and his role at Dexter Todd and Associates law firm will be presented to the Chief Justice by Dr. Dexter Todd and Roysdale Ford.

He explained that he has experience in court as a legal assistant to Dr. Todd, but, without being admitted to the bar as an attorney, he cannot represent anyone in court or act on their behalf at the police station.

Corbin is among the 13 staff members employed at the law firm, which is located on South Road, Georgetown.

He works directly under Dr. Todd, who has been moulding him to play his role when the time comes.

Corbin is passionate about youth advocacy and doing pro bono work to empower young people to present themselves as worthy of opportunities and to seek opportunities for self-development through education.

“I want to provoke youths to get educated, to seek out opportunities, to become employed and to empower themselves,” he said.

He is the son of educators, teachers who travelled around the country to work. They were renting, but these days he resides in Farm Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

Corbin’s dad is from Berbice, and his mum is from the city; they were the driving force behind his success.

At a young age, his father encouraged him to read books, after which he had to do summaries, which were reviewed.

Corbin said he admired his parents, noting their dedication as teachers, and at one time, he even wanted to join the profession.

He reported that his parents have supported him all the way, even to this day. Apart from his zest for the legal profession, he is creative and enjoys playing the piano, writing poems, and also playing the drums.

Corbin added that he was a member of a band in his high school era and that was fun back then. He is also a volunteer who has made significant contributions to youth development behind the scenes, to date.