JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has welcomed a joint venture partnership to establish a new law school in the Caribbean.

 

The move, which involves collaboration among the Government of Guyana, the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), and the Law College of the Americas (LCA), will facilitate access to enhanced legal education for a wider cross section of qualified persons.

 

Minister Reid said with more trained lawyers, Jamaica could become a major player in the provision of legal services for overseas clients, thereby attracting more international investors.

 

He noted that financial and legal services are big a part of the economies of Hong Kong and London, among other areas around the world.

 

“This is what we want to see in Jamaica, where legal practitioners and other professionals are producing services for people not only in Jamaica, but across the world,” he said.

 

Senator Reid was speaking at a ceremony to launch the partnership held on January 26 at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.

 

The new institution, to be called the JOF Haynes Law College of the Americas (JHLSA) in the Caribbean, is expected to be one of the largest law schools in the region. The headquarters and main campus will be in Guyana.

 

Graduates of the Bachelor of Law programmes at the UCC/LCA Law Faculty, as well as graduates from other law faculties across the Caribbean, will be given priority admission to the planned two-year programme, effective September 2017.

 

Attorney General, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte, said the school will “significantly” improve access to legal education in the Caribbean.

 

“It is a timely response to the increased demand for legal education in the Caribbean, and is well placed to cater to the needs of the region while adding to growth and development,” she noted.

 

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs in Guyana, Basil Williams, for his part, said the new institution will address the high demand for space in law schools.

 

He pointed out that with more persons in the region studying in his country, they will be able to benefit from resources that Guyana is “on the threshold of unleashing.”

 

President of the LCA, Dr. Velma Brown Hamilton, said that the partnership offers “new beginnings and limitless possibilities” for persons desirous of becoming lawyers.

 

She said it solidifies the vision of the LCA to provide increased access to legal education for Caribbean people.

 

CAPTION: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid (2ndleft), has the attention of (from left): Group Executive Chairman of the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), Dr. Winston Adams; President of the JOF Haynes Law College of the Americas (JHLSA), Dr. Velma Brown Hamilton; and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs in Guyana, Basil Williams. Occasion was a ceremony to launch the partnership to establish the law school, held on January 26 at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.