by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Hon. Garth Wilkin- Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs in the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is currently attending the 53rd Meeting of the Council of Legal Education (CLE) in Barbados.
The Attorney General outlined in a social media post, a few notable feats for St. Kitts and Nevis from CLE meeting.
“I am pleased to report on three important matters arising from the first session of the governing Council’s Meeting, held on September 16, 2022:
1. St Kitts & Nevis is in good standing with respect to its financial obligations to the CLE, which paves the way for our Kittitian and Nevisian students to attend Law School without administrative restrictions or additional cost.
2. A new Chairperson of the CLE was elected by the governing Council: Attorney-at-Law, Liesel Weekes. The Government and People of St Kitts & Nevis wish her the very best in her tenure. She is another shining example of young professionals taking up leadership roles in our Region.
3. St Kitts & Nevis accepted the nomination, and was thereafter elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the CLE, which gives our Federation a loud voice on all matters pertaining to legal education in the Caribbean. As our Government’s representative, I will take this role seriously and do my best to ensure that the future lawyers of our region, particularly those from St Kitts & Nevis, continue to receive the best legal education possible” noted Wilkin.
The Council of Legal Education was created by an Agreement signed in 1971 by Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies and the University of Guyana.”
According to a report on CARICOM’s website, The Council was established to provide training opportunities for lawyers wishing to practise in the region. The Council meets annually and is made up of Governments, the Judiciary and the private Bar. The Council operates three law schools in the Region: the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in the Bahamas. To be admitted to these Law schools, persons must have first obtained a bachelor’s degree in law (LL.B). Non UWI LL.B graduates can be admitted to the Law Schools if they are successful in the CLE’s annual entrance examination which is held in July.
