Georgetown : 64 first year law students were presented with tokens at the University of Guyana’s (UG) Law Department Annual Law Social. The event saw the Class of 2016 welcoming the Class of 2018.
Attorney General Basil Williams, who was charged with delivering the feature address, stated that the event “… represented perpetuity; even as the Class of 2016 proceeds to the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS), the UG Law programme is being replenished by the first year law students.” He went on to say that the first year law students are embarking on legal studies at a time when “We are witnessing regional disintegration in the field of legal education.”
Minister Williams explained, “In my time the law programme was premised on regional integration through legal education. Law students from every CARICOM country were required to complete the second and third years of the law degree program at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus. Now every (Caribbean) country wants its own law school and degree programme.”
The Attorney General’s most resonated message was that of his experience when he completed the UG law degree programme with a Mark of Merit and had no means of furthering his studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Nevertheless, he did not waver in his belief that he would become a lawyer. Eventually, he was awarded a scholarship by the then PNC government. The Minister alluded to the fact that many students are faced with the same situation today and though the new government was just five months old, every effort was made to assist the Guyanese students in accessing their Legal Education qualifications.
Williams encouraged the aspiring lawyers to be disciplined, honest, read the law and to always give back to the people. He explained that he was educated by the people of Guyana and, though he had many lucrative offers to work in other jurisdictions, he chose to serve the people of Guyana. The Minister also highlighted the need for the law students to, “Believe in themselves, be selfless, disciplined and to execute their jobs with integrity as they prepare themselves to develop this nation and live out our creed of “One people, One nation, One destiny.”
The evening’s programme also saw remarks from Head of the Law Department, Sheldon McDonald and President of the Bar Association, Christopher Ram who both reminded the students about the need for integrity in the legal profession as well as the need to give back pro bono. Sandra Bart, Lecturer in the Law Department and representative of the Guyana Women’s Lawyers Association (GWLA), spoke of the Association’s work in “The Law and You” education and awareness programme and encouraged the men to join the GWLA in raising awareness of the law and citizens’ rights.
Attendees were entertained with musical renditions from Donovan Rangiah and Jamal La Rose, Tavera Franklin on the violin, an interpretive dance, a poem by Taymara Jagmohan and a dramatic piece by University of Guyana’s Student Society (UGSS).
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