PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Academy for Law has named 48 “exceptional Caribbean lawyers” whom it said will be recognized as ‘Legendary Caribbean Legal Practitioners.’
“Among the awardees are giants of the legal profession representing historical, transitional, and contemporary epochs of law and development in the region,” it said, adding that this will be the third installment of the Academy’s Eminent Caribbean Jurist series.
Among those named are former Barbados prime ministers Sir Grantley Adams, Sir Harold “Bree” St John, former Jamaica prime minister Norman Manley, former Trinidad and Tobago Governor General Sir Ellis Clarke, the first CCJ president Michael De La Bastide and Sir Hugh Wooding, after whom the University of the West Indies (UWI) law school in Trinidad is named.
The list also includes Sir Lionel Alfred Luckhoo, Sir Fenton Ramsahoye, Professor J.O.F. Haynes of Guyana, Sir W.H. Courtenay of Belize, Sir Lee Moore of St. Kitts-Nevis and Sir Vincent Floissac of St. Lucia.
The Academy, which serves as the educational arm of the CCJ, created the Eminent Caribbean Jurist Awards Series in 2019 to recognize and honor the contribution of Caribbean jurists to the law and societal development.
It said that the “legal legends” were selected by the Regional Selection and Advisory Committee, which first met on September 27 last year, and that nominations were submitted from bar associations, judiciaries, journalists, the Council for Legal Education and its law schools, other law schools in the region, professional associations, and former Eminent Caribbean Jurists.
It said 115 nominations were received, from which 48 were selected for regional and temporal distribution.
“As part of the project, a brief profile was prepared for each honouree by specially selected essayists. These profiles will be compiled into a publication to memorialize the contribution of these outstanding legal practitioners to the development of law in the region,” the CCJ Academy said.
The publication is anticipated to be launched and available to the public in January 2024. It is hoping, as with the Academy’s previous publications, “that highlighting the lives and work of these Caribbean legal personalities will inspire the younger generation of practitioners.”
The following is the complete list of awardees.
| Number | Country | Name of Awardee | Essayist |
| Bahamas | Sir Eugene Dupuch KC | Ms. Tonya Bastian Galanis | |
| Barbados | Sir Grantley Adams KC | Sir Richard L Cheltenham KA, KC, Ph.D., and Ms. Shelly-Ann Seecharan | |
| Barbados | Sir Harold “Bree” St John KC | Sir Richard L Cheltenham KA, KC, Ph.D., and Ms. Shelly-Ann Seecharan | |
| Barbados | Sir Jack Dear KC | Mme Justice Cecily Chase | |
| Barbados | Sir Henry Forde KC | Sir David Simmonds and Justice Andrew Burgess | |
| Barbados | Sir David Simmons KC | Mr. Justice Andrew Burgess | |
| Barbados | Sir Richard Cheltenham KC | Mr. Alrick Scott KC | |
| Belize | Mr. Derek Basil Courtenay SC | Ms. Vanessa Retreage | |
| Belize | Mr. B Simeon Sampson SC | Mr. Godfrey Smith SC | |
| Belize | Sir W.H Courtenay SC | Dr. Harold A. Young | |
| Belize | H.W Young KC | Ms. Jacqueline Marshalleck SC | |
| Guyana | Professor JOF Haynes SC | Mr. Justice Courtney Abel | |
| Guyana | Mr. Rex McKay SC | The Honourable Chief Justice Blenman | |
| Guyana | Mr. Ashton Chase SC | Ms. Pauline Chase | |
| Guyana | Dr Mohammed Shahabudeen SC | Attorney General Mr. Mohabir Nandlall SC | |
| Guyana | Sir Lionel Alfred Luckhoo SC | Mr. Edward Luckhoo SC | |
| Guyana | Sir Fenton Ramsahoye SC | Mr. C.V Satram | |
| Guyana | Mr. Clarence Hughes SC | Mr. Nigel Hughes | |
| Guyana | Dr Claude Denbow SC | Mrs. Donna Denbow | |
| Haiti | Mr Monferrier Dorval | Mr. Roberson Alphonse | |
| Jamaica | Mr. Norman Manley KC | Ms. Carol Aina and Mr. Churchill Neita | |
| Jamaica | Mr J.A.G Smith | RNA Henriques | |
| Jamaica | Mr. Vivian O. Blake KC | Mr. Walter H. Scott KC | |
| Jamaica | Mr. David Coore KC | Most Hon PJ Patterson | |
| Jamaica | Mr Justice Dennis Morrison KC | Mme Justice Hilary Phillips KC | |
| Jamaica | Mme Justice Hilary Phillips KC | Mr. Justice Patrick Anthony Brooks, OJ, CD | |
| Jamaica | Mr. Frank Phipps KC | Mr. Pearnel Charles Jr and Ms. Phipps | |
| Jamaica | Mr. Ian Ramsay KC | Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hall and Dr. Eric Ramsay | |
| Jamaica | Dr. Lloyd Barnett OJ | Mr. Justice Winston Anderson | |
| Jamaica | Dr. Kenneth Rattray KC | Mr. Douglas Leys | |
| OECS | Mr. Time H. Kendall KC | Ms. E Ann Henry KC | |
| OECS | Dr. Joseph Archibald | Mr. Sydney Bennett KC | |
| OECS | Mr. Carol Bristol | Ms. Lisa Taylor | |
| OECS | Sir Vincent Floissac | Mr. Michael Gordon KC | |
| OECS | Mr. Parnell Campbell | Ms. Mandela Campbell | |
| OECS | Sir Lee Moore KC | Dr Henry Browne KC | |
| OECS | Mme Justice Joyce Kentish-Egan | Ms Tana’ania Small Davis KC | |
| Suriname | Mr Freddy Kruisland | Dr. (Hon) Carlo Jadnanansing | |
| Suriname | Mr. Ben Halfhide | Ms. Marja Vos | |
| Suriname | Mr. Stanley Marica | Mr. Valery Pique | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Sir Hugh Wooding KC | Professor Bridget Brereton | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Sir Ellis Clarke KC | Ms. Sophia Chote SC | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Hon Mr Justice Michael de la Bastide | Mr. Simon de la Bastide | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Mr. Karl Terrence Hudson-Phillips KC | Ms. Jennifer Hudson-Phillips | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Mr. Frank Solomon SC | Mr. Daniel Solomon | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Mr. Allan J Alexander SC | Mr. David Alexander | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Mr. Desmond Allum SC | Ms. Tara Allum | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Mr. Tajmool Hosein KC | Mr. Faareez Hosein |
and then 