Establishing our own law school

In January 2017, the Government of Guyana, through its Attorney General, Basil Williams, made an important announcement, much to the delight of many Guyanese; especially law students, that Guyana will establish its own law school by 2018. The law school was to be named the JOF Haynes Law School.
For many years our law students have been faced with very difficult times due to the many hurdles they had to cross in gaining admission to the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS). Many had reached frustration point and even had to quit their dreams of becoming certified in the field of law; since not only are the costs associated with studying at HWLS very high, but the process to gain entry was burdensome and not even guaranteed.

There were many calls from various stakeholders, especially University of Guyana students themselves, for the government to move in this direction; and it was indeed pleasing to have learnt that the nation was one step closer to seeing this project become a reality.
However, we are almost to the last quarter of 2018 and since then many questions have been raised as to the level of progress made so far in ensuring this project becomes a reality. Infact so far we have been hearing conflicting reports coming from various quarters regarding the setting up of the school. For its part, the government has been saying that the logistical arrangements are being worked out to set up the law school.
Infact, just a few days ago, AG Williams gave all assurances that the path has been cleared for the establishment of the school. But former Attorney General Anil Nandlall had told sections of the media that Guyana has not received the necessary permission to set up the law school and had accused the government of proverbially putting the cart before the horse.
AG Williams on the other hand is claiming that Guyana has “gone past” the stage of receiving permission, and that the go-ahead has been ‘recommended’. Williams revealed that the feasibility study has been received, and many of the issues surrounding the school’s establishment would be brought up for discussion by Cabinet.
Our view is that this is regarded as a national project and a bipartisan approach should have been taken in the first place towards its implementation. It would be to our country’s benefit if our leaders pool their talents and resources and work towards ensuring that a law school that is of very high grade and well recognized and respected is established.
No one can underestimate the level of preparation needed and the time and resources required before such a project finally comes on stream. There are two main issues that must be considered and would need much effort from key personnel involved to ensure all arrangements are adequately in place. First, the law school must be given the necessary accreditation and recognition so that all graduates are properly licensed to practice law in Guyana and elsewhere in the Caribbean. At the moment only graduates from the HWLS are legally recognised to practise at the bar.
Secondly, the school must be equipped with the necessary facilities and personnel such as a library and a qualified staff to deliver the curriculum. It could be recalled that AG Williams had given the necessary assurances that the law school will be accredited and its programme recognised throughout the Region. Assurances were also given that the lecturers contracted will be of high standards to ensure that the students are offered quality legal education. As mentioned earlier, while all of this sounded good on paper, we are not certain as to what progress has been made in relation to achieving these key requirements.
Many of our students are eagerly awaiting the establishment of our own law school. We had stated before that establishing a law school in Guyana will not only ease the level of frustration our students face in gaining admission at HWLS, but it will show the rest of the region that Guyana can also be a leader as it relates to the study of various areas of the law.