– Amrita Persaud admitted to practise before Guyana’s courts after years of perseverance
GUYANA has gained a new attorney-at-law, with Amrita Persaud on Tuesday being admitted to practise before the courts of Guyana during a ceremony at the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature in Georgetown.
Persaud, who completed her Bachelor of Laws before gaining admission to the Eugene Dupuch Law School in 2024, reflected on a journey she said was marked by perseverance, sacrifice and the support of family, friends, lecturers and legal practitioners.
Her admission followed years of academic studies, practical experience at Singh & Singh Legal Practitioners, setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and even efforts to advocate for her acceptance to Law School. As she enters the profession following a petition by Attorney-at-Law Jaya Singh-Backreedy before Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif, Persaud pledged to approach her responsibilities with integrity, fairness and respect for the institutions she will serve.
Persaud was admitted following a petition by Attorney-at-Law Jaya Singh-Backreedy, who highlighted her academic journey and early exposure and experience to the legal profession. Singh-Backreedy said Persaud attended ABC Academy before moving on to Marian Academy, where she completed her CXC subjects, and later attended the School of the Nations.
She then began her LLB programme through the University of London external programme at Nations University.
Singh-Backreedy said Persaud later worked with Singh & Singh Legal Practitioners, where she gained first-hand experience of the demands of legal practice.
She was keen to note that Persaud’s discipline, dedication and perseverance were evident as she witnessed the long days, late nights and various experiences involved in the profession.
As she shared, “She saw the long days, the late nights. She saw the wonderful clients and also the not-so-wonderful clients, Your Honour. She endured every moment of our practice with us, and I am happy to say that she decided to continue in spite of this,” Singh-Backreedy said.
She also pointed to the setbacks Persaud faced while trying to enter law school, including the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite being unable to write the entrance examinations during those years, Singh-Backreedy said Persaud continued to pursue her goal and was eventually awarded a place at Eugene Dupuch Law School in 2024. “Your Honour, as every journey goes, there might be a few bumps, but we do not get out of the car, Your Honour. What we do is buckle up and we go for the ride, and this is exactly what Ms. Persaud did,” she said.
Persaud, in addressing the court, described her admission as the culmination of years of “dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance,” while also acknowledging that the achievement was not hers alone. She credited her mother and family for their support, as well as the teachers, lecturers, friends and legal practitioners who helped shape her journey. As she shared, “I would like to thank God. My faith has been a constant throughout this path, with thanks to my mother, who ensured I upheld my religious beliefs, particularly during the moments when the path I had was uncertain, and this day seemed much farther away than it does now,” she thanked her family and loved ones, adding, “To my family, this journey has reminded me that no achievement is ever truly accomplished alone. I have been incredibly fortunate to have a family whose love, encouragement, and support have followed me through every stage of my life,” Persaud said.
The new attorney also reflected on her time working as a paralegal at Singh & Singh Legal Practitioners. She said the experience taught her that practising law involved far more than academic knowledge and helped her understand the importance of responsibility, preparation and the trust placed in attorneys by their clients. As she shared, “They helped me to understand that the practice of law was about far more than what could be found in a textbook,” she said. Persaud recalled the difficulty of gaining admission to law school during the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining that after repeated applications and disappointment, she was encouraged then by Singh-Backreedy to advocate for herself. “I applied and applied again, but the opportunity did not come. For the first time, this dream that I had carried for so long began to feel almost impossible. And sometimes when you experience enough disappointment, you begin convincing yourself to accept it,” she added, “Fortunately for me, Jaya was not prepared to let me do that. She pushed me. She encouraged me. She encouraged me not to simply send another application or another email, but to physically to go to the law school and ventilate my case, to show up, to ask questions, to advocate for myself,” Persaud said.
Persaud also paid tribute to her late grandmother, who she said taught her to read and gave her one of the greatest gifts she had ever received, the gift of education.
She said, “During this already demanding journey, I experienced one of the most difficult moments. The loss of one of my grandmothers,” she added, “Losing my grandmother while pursuing this journey forced me to understand what it means to carry grief and ambition at the same time.” Persaud thanked her parents for their sacrifices and unwavering support throughout her education, as well as her friends and colleagues at Dentons, where she now continues her legal career. As she begins practising law, Persaud said she is conscious of the responsibility that comes with the profession. “The privilege of practicing law carries significant responsibilities to the court, to clients, to colleagues, to the profession, and ultimately to justice itself,” she said.
Persaud said she enters the profession humbled by her journey, grateful for those who supported her and hopeful for the career ahead.
