Poor turnout at Law Association consultation

The first of the Law Association’s public consultations on the appointment of judges got off to a slow start on Tuesday evening, as fewer than 20 people attended the event, held at the Government Campus Plaza’s auditorium in Port of Spain.

Despite the disappointing turnout, committee members Desiree Bernard, Terrence Farrell, Rajiv Persad, Rishi Dass and Vanessa Gopaul were on hand to answer questions from those present and provided some insight into the mechanisms behind the appointment of judges.

Veteran attorney Bindra Dolsingh expressed his concern over the criteria used to appoint judges, with specific reference to academic achievements versus experience in the field. He said current criteria used to gauge the intellectual capacity of candidates was inadequate and suggested that experience should assume a greater focus in the selection process.

“Experience must be a second-tier priority in reinforcing intellectual competence. Legal knowledge and intellectual and analytical ability, shifting straight across to experience acquired. Capacity to analyse is something that is obtained as a base and a launching pad for experience. It is something I am particularly concerned about, because there are no specified criteria in the process to arrive at any measure of comfort in the intellectual capacity of a prospective candidate.” Dolsingh said despite the submission of written work before a committee as a requirement for appointment, more robust criteria should be put in place to ensure capable judges are appointed, citing the provision of an interview as part of the selection process and the implementation of training in administrative management for potential candidates.