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Leslie Haynes appointed Chief Justice

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Leslie Haynes appointed Chief Justice

New Chief Justice Leslie Haynes formalizing his appointment under the gaze of President Mason

The blogmaster is not thrilled with the appointment of Leslie Haynes as the Chief Justice of Barbados to replace Patterson Cheltenham. There are many reasons that can be cited – his most recent tenure as Chairman of the hobbled National Insurance Scheme cannot be described as stellar, his was an uneventful period as President of the Barbados Bar Association, as Chairman of the Electoral Boundaries Commission many questions can be asked about lack of timely reporting on election matters especially the fiasco that occurred during the COVID 19 general election and other snafus.

The biggest concern of the blogmaster is his close relationship with Prime Minister Mia Mottley. There is always an effort in our system of government to demarcate the judiciary from the executive. If memory serves Haynes’ private law practice operated from the same location as Mottley’s at the corner of James Street. Barbados is a small island which makes it difficult to select a candidate untouched by our incestuous nature. However, we could have done better.

How the blogmaster regrets Jeff Cumberbatch had to shuffle off this mortal coil. To compare the resumes of Cumberbatch and Haynes- not to include integrity- would have made him a slam dunk selection for the position of CJ.

Relevant Link – Report of Judicial Appointments Committee

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61 responses to “Leslie Haynes appointed Chief Justice”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7pRC9roR2s/?igsh=MXEwejNjaWM2cWJ1cQ==

  2. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    What are weeee doing?

    The last CJ, based on his assessment about the work to be done suggested the appointment with somebody no approaching three score and seven.

    Looking at this new CJ, he looks more elderly than his man he’s replacing.

    Mia just appointing her people.

  3. M Jane Goddard Avatar
    M Jane Goddard

    Mr. Blogmaster, you have failed to mention Leslie Haynes’ past involvement as director on the Boards of several CL Financial Limited/CLICO companies particularly CLICO Mortgage & Finance Corporation now renamed Capita Financial Services Inc.

  4. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    brown sugar.

  5. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    more.

  6. David Avatar
    David

    @Jane Goddard

    Leslie Hayne’s association with CLICO has been mentioned many times on the blog over the years, simple do a search of the archives.

  7. David Avatar
    David

    Many expressed concern in this space when David Simmonds moved seamlessly from the tussle of partisan politics to being CJ, the same can be said of Leslie Haynes although he operated outside parliament he is known to be a BLP disciple.

    CJ’s caution to new lawyers

    Chief Justice Leslie Haynes is putting unscrupulous attorneys on notice that the laws are going to be changed to hold them accountable.

    During the admission of 53 new attorneys to the Bar yesterday in the No. 1 Supreme Court, Haynes urged the young attorneys to build a good reputation and maintain their dignity but warned them that an amended Legal Professions Act was on the way which would hold crooked attorneys to account.

    “The time is right for us to consider the requirements for admission to our local bar as well as, and in some instances more importantly, the process by which those who have gone astray are removed.

    “The present provisions for the profession to maintain its accountability and defend its processes are cumbersome and outdated. We, as the judiciary of Barbados, urge you who are being admitted to the bar today to stay within acceptable lines of conduct. With the expected changes to the Act, you will be held accountable when you fall below the expected standard,” he said.

    Changes

    The Chief Justice said the upcoming changes would be the first major re-examination of the Act in half a century.

    “You must see clients’ funds and leave them alone. You must communicate with your clients and so gain a reputation for being responsive. There’s a saying that a reputation takes 20 years to build, but it only takes five minutes to ruin. I urge you, therefore, to consider the bill and submit any comments you may have to the president of the Bar.

    “The world is changing, and with it comes new areas of the practice of law. Methodologies in all areas of life are evolving. The profession must evolve as well,” he said.

    In addition, Chief Justice Haynes urged the attorneys not to turn their backs on criminal law, which he said honed the skills of many of the judges before them.

    “I must unfortunately make a call that my predecessors had to make and that you have heard from the Attorney General. The practice of criminal law does not seem today to attract newly admitted attorneys. When I was younger, the criminal bar was the place where you honed your advocacy skills and learned the practical rules of evidence.

    “The criminal bar opened the door to addressing clients’ matters on a daily basis, as well as interacting with the court. The judiciary as a whole bemoans the decline in the criminal bar, and we take this opportunity to encourage as many of you as possible to devote a portion of your practice to criminal law. I am certain that you will benefit from time spent at the criminal bar, both in the High Court and the Magistrates’ Courts,” he said.

    Modern methods

    The Chief Justice also encouraged the youth to embrace modern methods as well as emerging areas, as the practice of law was not static.

    Earlier, Attorney General Dale Marshall SC also spoke about the integrity of the profession, saying a few bad apples had tainted the reputation of attorneys.

    “Lawyers have always been maligned, more often than not, unfairly so, but wellpublicised incidents involving attorneys and their handling of client’s money, generally involving jail terms, have served to even further cement the perception commonly held that lawyers are dishonest.

    “Three or four bad apples have tainted the reputation of a profession that currently has over 1 000 practitioners on this island. We have to erase that taint –all of us.

    “We have become known for not working on clients’ matters with dispatch. These things are not new but the real story here, though, is that it is the interest of the client that is paramount.

    “You are engaged to provide a service to a client. For that service, you are entitled to a fair fee, nothing more. You serve the client and you must do so to the best of your ability and if you cannot handle a matter, be courageous enough to admit that it is beyond your skillset and either ask the client to go elsewhere or seek advice from an attorney who has those skills. Your client is who is important; your interests are entirely secondary,” he said.

    Marshall also noted there were few among the new attorneys who indicated they were interested in criminal law but said it was in this facet of law where attorneys made names for themselves.

    “If you ask any Barbadian about a lawyer, the names of those who practise criminal law will come most readily to mind. It is in those trenches that fame in the legal profession is made. I urge that more of you consider the practice of law on the criminal side,” he said. ( CA)

    Source: Nation

  8. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ David
    Listening to the CJ provided a moment of mirth fo the bushman….

    Note that he admonished the new Lyers not to ‘steal’ client’s funds. We all know that EVERY one of those who have so far been identified, has DENIED stealing any funds, ..insisting that they merely BORROWED the client funds at 0% interest rate.

    When caught out in this ‘loan scheme’ they often agreed to ‘repay’ those clients (either by borrowing from OTHER unsuspecting clients, or via loans from OTHER Lyers who borrow from their unsuspecting client funds).

    The ones who are exposed and incarcerated are the clowns who refuse to play the ‘Lodge’ games.

    The CJ therefore said absolutely NOTHING – but greatly impressed the members of the Local joke Press – who saw it as headline news.

    Why the Hell does he not MANDATE an annual audit of ALL lawyers’s client accounts, and have the results audited by an independent audit firm?

    What does he have to say about the CURRENT Lyers who CURRENTLY cannot balance their client accounts?

    No wonder an EX-CLICO man has been selected for this post…. he comes with LOTS of experience.

    What a place….

  9. David Avatar
    David

    @Bush Tea

    Same old same old.

  10. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    The A G is reported to have said ” It is in those trenches that fame in the legal profession is made. I urge that more of you consider the practice of law on the criminal side,” he said.

  11. The OG Avatar
    The OG

    We get a speech like this at least twice a year. We will soon get a similar speech from the lawyer’s society. The year the CJ leave office is when we get three such speeches as he/she usually repeat this one on exiting offices.

    Blogmaster, rest assured that I will not ask you for a link to this speech.

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