LAWYERS in the NEWS

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No single profession attracts the ire of Barbadians like lawyers. On a daily basis For example, we often hear complaints about lawyers taking unreasonably long periods of time to transfer monies from clients accounts to their clients. The complaints come from Barbadians living overseas  who having entrusted life long savings (pensions) to lawyers to settle various transactions in absentia or Barbadians on the rock who have no choice but to take on the stress of the legal system to process routine transactions.

The Bar Association (BA) has done little to assuage the concerns by Barbadians that it is an efficient self regulating body.  Suggestions to include ordinary folks on the BA’s Disciplinary Committee has not met with a favourable response. There is a sense lawyers and by extension the legal system has the country in a vice grip headlock.    Where are ordinary citizens to turn for justice if the Court System, its trusted officers (lawyers) and the BA continue to NOT satisfactorily resolve concerns from citizenry?

BU accepts bad apples are to be found in all professions – doctors, engineers, construction class, bankers and the list is very long. However, what cannot be denied is the ‘omnipresence’ nature of the legal profession on our little society. What cannot be denies is the right of Barbadians to assign priority to issues affecting them as they think fit.  The time for citizens, ordinary and others, to fight back.

Take Note Commenters
  1. The objective of  BU LAWYERS in the NEWS page is to highlight reports of interest to the public about the activities of Barbados based lawyers.
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This is a Page under construction which will be tweaked in the coming days. We welcome your feedback.

208 comments

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  • TheOGazerts
    April 24, 2022 8:02 AM

    Have these ten new judges made a difference. Stats, please.
    BT
    “On the day observed as the start of the legal year, Smith-Millar told Barbados TODAYthe association would continue to closely monitor the situation at the court and the impact of ten new judges on the number of outstanding cases languishing in the judicial system. “We are extremely pleased that we have more judges on board to deal with the backlog as well as being able to spread the load perhaps a bit better now that they are more of them and bring court matters to a faster conclusion. That’s really our outlook on it. We hope that we can work with them,”

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  • David
    April 24, 2022 9:10 AM

    This is where the BBA should be helping the public by giving us the information. The public is vested in an a well functioning court system.

    Like

  • David
    April 26, 2022 3:59 AM

    Judge: Delays in justice system make society fearful

    by HEATHER-LYNN EVANSON heatherlynevanson@nationnews.com

    SUBSTANTIAL DELAYS in the judicial system as accused wait years to be tried could have the trickle-down effect of making citizens “feel unsafe, skittish and uncooperative”.
    “Justice is denied every day both to those accused and those who fall victim to crime in this society and, furthermore, to the society at large, which has to dwell in the abyss of our state of affairs,” Justice Carlisle Greaves said.
    The judge’s comments came as he dealt with an 11-year-old matter in the No. 3 Supreme Court.
    Sherwin Ambrose Brathwaite, of 1st Avenue, Hoyte’s Village, St James; Akeem Jamal Alleyne, of Forde’s Tenantry, Silver Hill, Christ Church; as well as Dwayne Ricardo Gibson and Devere George Junior Small, both of Silver Hill, Christ Church, were back before the judge after pleading guilty to entering Silver Fox Arcade on January 13, 2011, and stealing $20 340, an external hard drive and a power supply belonging to Palace Amusements Ltd and at the time with a firearm.
    They had also confessed to entering the arcade on the same date and stealing a cell phone, a wallet and $450 belonging to Michael Bramble and at the time had a firearm.
    Senior State Counsel Neville Watson appeared for the prosecution, while Brathwaite was represented by attorney Lesley Cargill-Straker; Alleyne by Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley and attorney Sade Harris; Small by Meshach Thornhill and Gibson by Ajamu Boardi.
    The judge fined each offender $5 000.
    Alleyne was ordered to pay $2 000 of the fine forthwith and the remainder in two weeks or two years in prison, while Gibson, Small and Brathwaite were ordered to pay their fines in two weeks or spend two years in default.
    Each man was ordered to return to court on May 6, with their receipts, to confirm that the fines were paid.
    Justice Greaves said a major concern in the case for him was the substantial delay in bringing the matter to trial.
    “The delay in our court system is legendary,” he said.
    “A society which notes that criminal battles are going to be dealt with promptly and those who offend it are dealt the justice they deserve and those who are offended receive the justice they merit becomes a confident society, the members of which cooperate with legal authorities when necessary. They will be less fearful when they are required to offer assistance to bring to justice those who should be brought to justice,” he said.
    “But a society having to dwell in an environment of substantial delay, while accused are left to roam for long periods, begins to feel unsafe, skittish and uncooperative and fear for their welfare.”
    The judge noted that if the judicial system was going to work properly for the benefit of everyone, then justice must be speedy, efficient and just.
    “When delay is as substantial as this,” the judge said as he referred to the matter involving the four men, “it presents courts with a significant dilemma when it comes to the issue of sentencing”.
    He said the four men had committed a serious offence but each appeared to have subsequently become a law-abiding citizen.
    “People may do bad things at some time in their lives and, over the years thereafter, they might continue to do bad things. They might become worse or they might do no further bad things and they become better.”
    The judge, however, noted it was of concern to the court that the firearm used in the offence had not been recovered.

    Source: Nation

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  • Sargeant
    May 18, 2022 3:00 PM

    So Noel Lynch will be serving time, maybe Dodd’s should have a lawyers’ wing

    Like

  • David
    May 18, 2022 3:16 PM

    @Sargeant

    Leroy Lynch is the name.

    Like

  • Hants
    May 18, 2022 3:17 PM

    @ Sargeant,

    wrong Lynch

    Like

  • Hants
    May 18, 2022 3:22 PM

    Another one.

    “I am 85 years old and this thing has taken a great toll on my life,” Huggins said yesterday.”

    https://www.nationnews.com/2022/05/18/lawyer-wont-pay-town-house/

    Like

  • Sargeant
    May 18, 2022 5:27 PM

    Sorry folks
    Slip of the fingers, thanks for the correction

    Like

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