New law school to expand legal capacity, access to justice
The Caribbean’s justice system is set to benefit from expanded legal capacity as Guyana advances the establishment of the fourth law school under the Council of Legal Education (CLE), creating greater opportunities for professional legal training in the region.
The development comes as the region confronts growing demand for professional legal education, driven by an expanding number of universities and institutions offering undergraduate law programmes.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall on Thursday joined regional judicial officials, members of the legal profession and representatives of the University of Guyana for the turning of the sod at the University’s Turkeyen Campus.
“The world has dramatically changed. The Caribbean has dramatically changed. Legal education as we know it has changed,” AG Nandlall said.
He noted that technological advancement and changes in the way people learn and communicate have fundamentally altered the environment in which legal education operates.
The AG said the demand for professional training has increased significantly.
“The demands for legal education have skyrocketed over the last five decades, and I dare say beyond the wildest expectation of the original signatories to the Council of Legal Education,” he said.
The initiative dates back to 1996, when the issue was first formally advanced at a CLE meeting. It subsequently went through several periods of renewed activity and dormancy before gaining sustained momentum.
The legal affairs minister recalled that University of Guyana graduates had encountered difficulties entering professional law school despite completing their undergraduate studies, with some students facing lengthy delays before securing admission.
The proposed law school is expected to support the wider development of the Caribbean legal profession.
Plans include collaboration with the Caribbean Court of Justice to establish the CCJ Academy of Law at the Turkeyen site.
AG Nandlall said the significance of the project extends to generations of students who will benefit from improved access to professional legal education.
“It is the realization of the aspirations of generations of Guyanese,” he said.
Guyana is helping to create an expanded pathway for aspiring lawyers and a stronger foundation for the continued development of Caribbean jurisprudence and justice.
