Barbados Underground

THE NAME of Therold Oneal Fields has been struck from the roll of attorneys in Barbados. This decision was made by the Court of Appeal today, as the court also ordered him to pay $601 000 with interest of eight per cent to his former client, Patricia Simpson, who had hired him in 2008 in relation to the purchase of land at Gibbons in Christ Church – Nation News

Therold Oneal Fields

The disbarment of Therold Oneal Fields by the Court of Appeal has been well received by a long suffering public.  The prevailing sentiment is that many more lawyers need to be made an example of by the Bar Association and the Courts of Barbados. Barbadians living overseas is one group which has been taken advantage of through the years.

The question being asked is why Fields and not Speaker Michael Carrington. We all know why! The other question is why does the system take so long to discipline lawyers. In the case of Fields he was contracted in 2008 and Michael Carrington his matter, although taking a different path, was protracted as well. Surely for justice to be delivered it must be done in a timeframe to mitigate the suffering of those who have been taken advantage of by trusted court officers.

Another related issue which requires attention is the better use of the Attorneys-at-law Compensation Fund established under the Legal Professions Act Cap. 370A to relieve or mitigate the loss of a victim. In 2013 the fund was stated to have a balance of greater than 2 million dollars. We need to hear the Barbados Bar Association President Tariq Khan publicly addressing this issue.

For too long members of the political class in Barbados which is greatly influenced by lawyers have ground the ‘system’ to snail pace. The time has come for the honest among you to take on the responsibly of cleaning up the profession and more directly to make the system more efficient.

What about Speaker Michael Carrington? Is he not an ideal candidate deserving of censure?