Woman lawyer, Attorney General, Jonas among 5 new Senior Counsel admitted to the Inner Bar

A special sitting of the Full Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature was on Tuesday convened to admit five newly appointed Senior Counsel, including Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, to the Inner Bar.

The other four Senior Counsel who were also admitted are Timothy Jonas, Jamela Ali, Stanley Moore and Roysdale Forde. Moore was admitted to practice law in 1970, Ali in 1989, Jonas in 1996, Forde in 1997 and Nandlall in 1998.

Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran presented Nandall’s petition for admission to the Inner Bar. While Nandlall presented the petition of the other Senior Counsel.

It was done before a panel of judges, including Chief Justice Roxane George, SC, Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Judges of the Court of Appeal and High Court.

Justice George, in her remarks, commended the decision of Justice Nareshwar Harnanan who recently dismissed a case brought by Jonas challenging the President’s authority to confer lawyers with Silk- Senior Counsel status.

Justice Harnanan ruled that the Executive President of Guyana has powers flowing from royal prerogatives, the Common Law and statutes to appoint Senior Counsel.

Justice George pointed out that the newly admitted Senior Counsel all have distinguished careers. She thanked them for providing great assistance to the court and for being thorough in their submissions. Justice George urged them to continue standing up for the rule of law and the administration of Justice.

She said they must continue working towards the development of Guyana’s jurisprudence and to the upliftment of this noble profession.

The Chief Justice pointed out that Senior Counsel continues to stand up for judicial officers, who do not have a voice in the public domain, and who continue to face personal attacks and criticisms for decisions they make.

Meanwhile, Senior Counsel Robin Stoby highlighted the career achievements of the new Senior Counsel. Apart from being involved in several cases of national importance that were heard by the local courts and Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), he said Nandlall is the youngest lawyer to serve as Attorney General.

According to Senior Counsel Stoby, Jonas lectured law at Queen’s College and was passionate about legal aid from the very start of his legal career. He added that Jonas served as President of the Guyana Bar Association and as Director for many local companies.

After completing her Legal Education Certificate, Senior Counsel Stoby said that Ali was attached to the Attorney General’s chambers. She holds a master’s degree in Legislative Drafting and is a qualified Mediator. She is the second person of the Muslim fate to be conferred with the dignity of Senior Counsel behind her cousin, Shalimar Ali-Hack, who is the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Forde was recognized for his involvement in a plethora of electoral cases in which he appeared alongside many other Senior Counsel. Forde, who is also an Opposition Member of Parliament, was admitted to the Bar in Grenada and Dominica.

While in Guyana, Moore served as a Magistrate, acting High Court Judge, acting Home Affairs Minister and acting Attorney General. He also served as a Judge in the Bahamas and at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. He also served as a Justice of Appeal in Botswana and as acting Attorney General in Montserrat.

For his part, the Attorney General urged the newly admitted Senior Counsel to discharge their duties to the best of their abilities and to guide young lawyers. He took the opportunity to encourage lawyers to do more pro bono work to ensure that justice is denied to no one.

Also in attendance at the special Full Court sitting were former President of the CCJ Dennis Byron, President of the Guyana Bar Association Teni Housty, the Chief and Senior Magistrates, the DPP and the Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court of Judicature.

Moore, Forde and Ali were appointed to Senior Counsel status in December 2019 by former President David Granger, while Jonas and Nandlall were conferred with Silk in October 2020 by President Dr Irfaan Ali.