Guyana now one step closer in securing a CLE Law School

Black Immigrant Daily News

See below for a statement issued today by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall on the establishment of a Law School in Guyana: 

The Council of Legal Education of the West Indies (CLE) is the lawful authority for theadministering of legal professional education in the Caribbean Region. The Councildoes so through its law schools, the Hugh Wooding Law School, St. Augustine inTrinidad and Tobago, Norman Manley Law School, Kingston, Jamaica, and EugeneDupuch Law School, Nassau, Bahamas.

This arrangement is governed by a Treaty which is incorporated by legislation in allmember States. Under this arrangement, holders of a recognized Bachelor of Lawsdegree are admitted to these law schools and upon the satisfactory completion of acourse of study, are issued with a Legal Education Certificate (LEC) which qualifiesthem to practise before the Courts of Law in member States.

For nearly three decades Guyana has been trying to establish a law school within itsjurisdiction.

Last week at a meeting of the Council of Legal Education held in Bridgetown, Barbadoson September 16 and 17, 2022, the Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Legal Affairs presented a case for the establishment of aCouncil’s law school in Guyana. In his presentation, the Attorney General informed theCouncil that unlike a proposal made by his predecessor, Basil Williams, SC, in which theCouncil rejected, the Government of Guyana is proposing that the law school be aCouncil’s institution to be managed and administered by the CLE but that theGovernment will provide the land and buildings based upon criteria and specificationsset by the Council.

This request was favourably considered, and the Council made a decision to write theGovernment of Guyana shortly, informing of this decision and setting out the criteria andother requirements which the Government will have to satisfy.

The Hon. Yonnette Cummings-Edwards, OR, Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag.)representing the Judiciary and Attorneys-at-Law, Mr. Teni Housty and KamalRamkarran, representing the Guyana Bar Association, who were also present at themeeting, ably supported the Attorney General in presenting Guyana’s case.

This initiative merges into the Government of Guyana’s commitment to promote Guyanaas an attractive offshore education destination. The proposed Law School is expectedto attract students from across the Region and further afield and will ease theoverloading which currently obtains, in particular, at Hugh Wooding and Normal ManleyLaw Schools.

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