PRESS RELEASES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
April 13, 2009
NMLS FUND
The Council of the JBA has recommend that the launch of a fund in the name of the Jamaican Bar Association for the benefit of students at the Norman Manley Law School. It is proposed that from this fund scholarships and/or loans will be made available to students on the basis of merit/need.
It is also proposed to create an annual
Jamaican Bar Association prize for a first year student who has done
well. The exact criteria is to be determined.
It is contemplated that practitioners will be asked to make an initial
contribution (eg. of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) each). If you are
interested in contributing to this worthy cause, please download and
complete the form and
return it to the Bar office by hard copy or electronically so that we
may know what level of support you are able to give to this project.
March 16, 2009
Download the Judgment of the Court of Appeal in Vaz v Dabdoub; Dabdoub v Vaz
February 20, 2009
State of the Nation Debate
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne, QC., in her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate, addressed several critical areas relevant to the Bar, including the issue of Criminal Case Management.
December 13, 2008
Members of the Bar Association oppose proposed amendment to the Constitution to remove the 5-year stricture to carry out the death penalty
Members of the Jamaican Bar Association
at a meeting convened on 13th December 2008 have expressed opposition to
any proposal to amend the Constitution of Jamaica to effectively reverse
court rulings, which have established that any death sentence imposed by
a court must be carried out within 5 years. Members present noted that
the proposed removal of the time limit now established by law, is an
admission of the failings of the system of justice and in particular,
the chronic delays arising out of the inefficiencies in the
administration of justice.
Download the
full press release
Read News Report
December 1, 2008
Success of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association Conference in Jamaica
The
Council of the Jamaican Bar Association wishes to thank all members of
the Association who supported and contributed to the success of the
recent Commonwealth Law Association held in Jamaica. The secretariat of
the Commonwealth Law Association has congratulated the Local Organizing
Committee and the Jamaican Bar Association for hosting this successful
event and expressed its thanks for the tremendous work put in by us.
Approximately 250 members of the Jamaican Bar Association were in
attendance. We wish to thank those of you who contributed by helping in
the organization, participating in the home hosting activities,
presenting papers, chairing sessions and attending the conference and
related events.
Registered participants in the conference are reminded to access papers
presented on the Commonwealth Law Association website
www.commonwealthlawyers.com
New Admissions to the Bar
Sixty graduates of the law school were admitted to practice in the several courts of Jamaica on November 20, 2008 by the Honourable Chief Justice. The graduates were charged by the Hon. Chief Justice to be diligent and to maintain the highest integrity in their professional lives. Ms. Hillary Phillips, Q.C. on behalf of the Inner Bar, Mrs. Jacqueline Samuels-Brown on behalf of the Jamaican Bar Association and Mrs. Valerie Neita-Robertson on behalf of the Advocates Association also welcomed them on behalf of the profession.