Legal Education Certificate

In the Commonwealth Caribbean, a Legal Education Certificate is a professional certification awarded to a person who has completed a course of study and training at a law school established by the Council of Legal Education.[1] It was created by Articles 4 and 5 of the 1970 Agreement Establishing the Council of Legal Education.[2]

## Awarding institutions

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There are three law schools that are empowered to award LECs: the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago, and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas. In general, LL.B. Graduates of the University of the West Indies are entitled to automatic admission to the above law schools, whereas others must take an entrance examination.[3] Another agreement allows University of Guyana graduates to bypass the entrance exam as well. This exemption only applies to Guyanese nationals. In 2010, Solicitor-General of Belize Oscar Ramjeet lobbied for the exemption to be extended to Belizeans.[4]

An LEC allows its holder to be admitted to practise law in any country or territory which is a signature to the agreement. In general, no person who does not hold an LEC may be so admitted. The original agreement exempted persons who were qualified to practise law on or before 1 October 1971, or who were undergoing a course of study leading to a qualification which would have enabled them to practise law before that date and who completed that course before 1 January 1980.[2] A supplementary agreement in September 1984 extended the transitional period, and also provided for separate principals for each of the law schools empowered to award LECs.[5]

## Signatory countries, territories, and organisations

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Signatories

1970 agreement[2] | 1984 supplement[5]
Country, territory, or organisation  | Country or organisation  | Representative  | Date  | Location
Antigua |  Antigua and Barbuda | Keith Ford | 19 September 1984  | St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas |  The Bahamas | P. L. Adderley | 23 September 1984  | Miami, Florida, United States
Barbados |  Barbados | Louis Tull | 14 September 1984  | Ocho Rios, Jamaica
British Honduras |  Belize | George Brown | 19 September 1992  | Kingston, Jamaica
British Virgin Islands |  British Virgin Islands | Non-signatory
Cayman Islands |  Cayman Islands | Non-signatory
Dominica |  Dominica | Ronan David | 14 September 1984  | Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Grenada |  Grenada | Dennis R. M. Lambert | 15 September 1984  | Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Guyana |  Guyana | Mohamed Shahabuddeen | 15 September 1984  | Georgetown, Guyana
Jamaica |  Jamaica | Winston Spaulding | 14 September 1984  | Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Montserrat |  Montserrat | Non-signatory
Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | Samuel Weymouth Tapley Seaton | 20 September 1984  | Basseterre, Saint Kitts
Anguilla | Non-signatory
Saint Lucia |  Saint Lucia | Non-signatory
Saint Vincent |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Non-signatory
Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago | Russel Martineau | 14 September 1984  | Ocho Rios, Jamaica
University of Guyana | University of Guyana | George Walcott | 10 October 1984  | Georgetown, Guyana
University of the West Indies | University of the West Indies | Aston Preston | 14 September 1984  | Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Belize did not join the 1984 supplement initially, but eventually signed it later. It was a signatory to the 1970 agreement as "British Honduras".[5]

## References

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1. ^ "Agreement Establishing the Council of Legal Education". Caribbean Council of Legal Education. 1970. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
2. ^ a b c "Agreement Establishing the Council of Legal Education". Caribbean Community Secretariat. 1970. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
3. ^ CARICOM: our Caribbean community. Ian Randle Publishers. 2005. ISBN 9780975352939. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
4. ^ "GOB wants level field for Law Students in Jamaica". The Belize Reporter. 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
5. ^ a b c "Supplemental Agreement in Relation to the Council of Legal Education". Caribbean Community Secretariat. September 1984. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-07-30.