Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams says that a feasibility study is ongoing for the establishment of a Law School in Guyana, however, he could not say what aspects of the study is being looked at as he continues to criticise the Chairman of the Caribbean Council of Legal Education (CLE), Senior Counsel Reginald Armour.
The agreement to set up the J.O.F Haynes Law School was signed on January 11, 2017, between the Attorney-General, the University College of the Caribbean (UCC) and the Law College of the Americas (LAC).
The approval of the school from the CLE allegedly hinges on the completion of the feasibility study.
Speaking at the sidelines of an event on Monday, January 22, 2018, Williams said, “we are right now in the process of the feasibility where we looking at all factors including the criteria in establishing under the auspices of the CLE,” adding that “nobody can stop us from building a law school.”
Recently, there has been controversy surrounding whether Guyana was granted permission from the CLE to establish the law school since there are no documents to show same. But the Attorney General noted that permission must have been granted under the former People’s Progressive Party administration.
“Nandlall [former Attorney General] himself said in his closing statement for 2017 that his Government was given permission so all we doing is continuing to implement. So we have not been refused, and the CLE doesn’t have the records, they don’t have an archive…permission must have been granted,” the AG said.
Additionally, he noted that the area identified by the University of Guyana to build the law school is inadequate and a process is ongoing to identify another plot of land.
The Attorney General continues to be loggerheads with the CLE Chairman. Williams had accused the Chairman of collaborating with Nandlall. On Monday, the Attorney General made it clear that Mr Armour is not in charge of the CLE but is merely a servant of the Council.
The Law school aims to provide an alternative for Guyanese nationals who often face issues with being given a place at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad.
