PRESS RELEASES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
April 18, 2010
JBA Vice President wants to further education on ethics
JAMAICAN Bar Association Vice President Ian Wilkinson says the association plans to do further education of its members in regard to its code of ethics. The Jamaican Bar Association will be staging seminars for its members to deal with issues, including the need for transparency when dealing with clients' funds, the importance of keeping proper accounts and improving the lines of communication between lawyers and their clients. Read more
April 17, 2010
Annual General Meeting
The JBA passes resolution in relation to the General Legal Council, and Jacqueline Samuels-Brown and Ian Wilkinson re-elected as President and Vice President, respectively.
April 16, 2010
JBA Condemns Attack on Resident Magistrate in St. Lucia
The Jamaican Bar Association notes with
deep sadness and regret the violent attack on Jamaican attorney Ann
Marie Smith who has been serving as a Magistrate in our sister island of
St. Lucia. We wish to record our support for her colleagues and family
in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
We join with the OECS Bar Association in its call for a swift and
thorough investigation and reiterate that any attack of this nature
aimed at the justice system is the open door that leads to anarchy.
We are pleased to learn of the Magistrate’s steady improvement and
extend to her our best wishes for a swift and complete recovery.
April 6, 2010
The JBA donates $100K to the Salvation Army
Coming
out of the enormous success that was Bar Beat
Revolution, the Social Affairs Committee of the JBA was able to
make a donation of $100,000 to the Salvation Army.
Lt/Col Sydney McKenzie of The Salvation Army is overjoyed after receiving a cheque for $100,000.00 from Jade Hollis, Chairman Social Affairs Committee of The Jamaican Bar Association.
The cheque presentation took place at The Salvation Army Headquarters 2 Waterloo Rd Kingston on Thursday 1st April, 2010.
Photo by Nathaniel Stewart
February 26, 2010
The Minister of
National Security's Statements Regarding the Granting of Bail
The Jamaican Bar Association (JBA) have taken time for consultation
among its members regarding the statement attributed to the Honourable
Minister of National Security on February 14, 2010 castigating a judge
of our Supreme Court for granting bail to persons charged.
We are gravely concerned and indeed shock at the pronouncements
attributed to the Honourable Minister and note with regret that he has
not issued a retraction given the opportunity for reflection and the
taking of advice which the passage of time has allowed.
The Honourable Minister’s attributed statements reflect serious
ignorance or disregard for the principles on which our parliamentary
democracy operates, the protections guaranteed to every citizen by our
Constitution and the constitutionally entrenched independence of our
courts from the dictates of or interference from members of parliament
and executive officers into which category the Honourable Minister
falls.
In June of 2009 in response to a similar outburst by the Honourable
Minister the JBA sought to clarify the law and to reiterate that
disregard for the rights, life and liberty of citizens; and trespassing
upon the court’s jurisdiction have no place in effective and efficient
policing. On that occasion the Honourable Minister offered an apology.
Now again in 2010 the Honourable Minister has repeated this grave error.
A judge is obliged to make rulings based on the material placed before
him and not to be motivated by pressures placed on him otherwise. In
this case after two court dates the police and the prosecution had been
unable to present evidence to support the continued detention of the
accused. They were accordingly offered bail.
We cannot overlook the fact that the Minister’s statement, as was the
case in June 2009, comes on the heels of difficult negotiations between
the Minister and the Jamaica Constabulary Force over wages and benefit.
As we did in June 2009 we urge the Minister to provide the police force
with resources and training to strengthen investigative procedures and
practices, to improve the conditions at lock-ups and police stations in
general and to avoid unjustifiably long delays before trial. These are
matters that have been repeatedly the subject of public concern and most
recently attracted critical comments from a representative of a highly
respected United Nations body.
We are prepared to meet with the Honourable Minister and are committed
to assist in any programme aimed at improving the police and the justice
system and forestalling embarrassment for our country in the
international community.