Seepersad-Bachan now an attorney

ANDREW GIOANNETTI

CONGRESS of the People (COP) political leader and founding member Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan was called to the bar at the Hall of Justice, Port of Spain on Friday.

The electrical engineering lecturer at the University of the West Indies for over 15 years, and former minister of public administration and energy during the Peoples Partnership term in government, said it was a proud day for her and her 86 year-old mother, Irma Seepersad.

She comes from a family of several lawyers, including her cousin Dawn Seepersad who presented her to the bar. Seepersad-Bachan's sister Suzanne Seepersad, and daughter Saskia Bachan, are also lawyers.

She said being called to the bar will serve to complement her current areas of expertise and help her to find solutions for problems in the areas of engineering, business and government policy.

"(One of my motivations for pursuing law) having lectured for close to 20 years, being in technical (capacities) and serving at a state board level, then serving as a government minister, there were so many opportunities, so many issues that I felt had become important, and having that legal understanding was very, very important to me," she told Newsday on Sunday.

"I think very important is how we were able to find feasible, and what I would say, practical solutions to problems. Many times, to bridge the gap between the various fields is so important. When you speak to a lawyer, the lawyers tend to be so black and white.”

Seepersad-Bachan earned her LLB (law degree) after three years from the University of London, and completed a legal training course with distinction at Staffordshire University, also in England. That was followed by a requisite six-month in-service training.

She said she is unsure which portfolio she will put most focus on in the future.

"The jury is out on it," she said.

"I really have not made up my mind yet (if I want to practise law full time) but time is a bit of a constraint for me, because I am also a mother of two children and a wife.

Seepersad-Bachan thanked her mother, husband, son and daughter for their support.

"If I didn't have their support I would not have been able to do what I did."

Asked if she expects it to boost either her image in terms of credibility as an active politician, she replied: "I don't know. But I know it will help me personally, because a lot of the time, even as you're in the Parliament and you have to decide on legislation, and the impact of legislation on peoples' lives, its practical implementation is most of the issue. This has helped me a lot in terms of studying the law, in getting a better appreciation and understanding of legislation, and mainly the practical side to implementing and imposing the law."

She said her in-service training opened her eyes to the workings of the legal fraternity, which brought her to conclude that lawyers and other stakeholders in the judicial system can work together to improve its effectiveness and ultimately provide justice for citizens.

"I must tell you that I did have the opportunity to participate in the first judge-only trial in San Fernando, and over the six months (of in-service training), I'm very much surprised at the efficiencies and the effectiveness of the practice of law. I feel that somehow, there must be some improvements in order to meet new emerging global standards.

"I feel there can be a lot more done in terms of the practice of law to improve the access to justice and making it even more affordable and user-friendly for citizens. When you look at the backlog in the courts, I think lawyers can assist tremendously in eliminating that backlog. They are not the only ones, but they can contribute.”

Lamenting the difficulty many face accessing justice, Seepersad-Bachan added: "Of course, it has also opened my eyes to improvements to the criminal justice system, and that includes everyone – the police, the prosecution office, the criminal courts.

"Legislation-wise, we are good. We tend to provide a lot of laws. But in terms of justice, access to that justice, the efficient implementation of that legislation is also an issue that must be brought to bear in the minds of all involved."