By Lazeena Yearwood
Christopher Belfield is an avid volunteer for several social organisations and now he will serve the country as a State Prosecutor attached to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Belfield was admitted to the local bar on Friday last and his petition was presented to Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George, SC, by his former employer and friend, attorney-at-law Leslie Sobers.
With a strong sense of volunteerism, it was obvious Belfield would immerse himself in the field of representing those who cannot help themselves.
The 26-year-old, during an interview with the News Room, said he worked from the bottom up at the Ibis Law Chambers between 2016 and 2022 serving as a legal clerk and then a paralegal; he later left during his final year of studies pursuing a Legal Education Certificate at the Hugh Wooding Law School (2021-2023).
On September 16, 2023, he graduated; he is also the holder of a Bachelor of Laws Degree which he acquired at the University Of London (2016-2019).
Although he is passionate about helping people, Belfield said he faced his own challenges as he worked full-time and self-studied to get his Bachelor’s Degree. This was no easy feat.
“I would have to go to work for 8:30 and then leave at 4:30 pm and then I take a little break and start reading every afternoon from about 6pm to 9/10 pm and closer to exams, I went all the way up to 1 am sometimes 2 am. It was very rigorous…it required a lot of discipline,” the new attorney said.
To complete his final year of studying at the Trinidad institution, Belfield received funding from the government. A less ambitious person might be deterred by financial worries and uncertainties but Belfield was adamant about his goals.
“Since I’ve been small, I’ve been really exposed to academia and the value of it. My mother really took stock of me as a child and from a very young age, she had me in the process of reading.
“Because of my abilities, I know that I can help others and I know that I have what it takes to do so and putting myself in that position to help people is definitely something that I hold very close,” Belfield said.
The young man also believes in being an all-rounder and holds the same appetite for inclusivity in all aspects of his life. He spent time learning as much as he could about all aspects of the field during his time at the Law Chambers.
“My time and the experience have exposed me more to civil litigation, family law and things like that.
“Right now I’m focusing on becoming very familiar with the criminal law practice and that accounts for where my current post is at the DPP.
“I do intend to have my own practice where I could serve more directly to the people,” Belfield said.
He also acquired great time management skills as part of the Bel Air Leo Club which he helped to resuscitate in 2017; as Public Relations Officer for the Queen’s College Old Students’ Association and as the former Head of the Guyana Jurisdiction Committee at the Law School.
Belfield was also awarded the Ifoma Soyinka Prize for his civil engagement at the Law School. But how does he intend to juggle all these roles?
“I have a clock that exceeds 24 hours so I usually make it work. I’ve been focused mainly on my profession and as I’m adjusting I am trying to figure out how I can still extend myself to those other areas and I intend to maintain a healthy balance,” Belfield said.
