Chris Must List to defend self in court: Legal fees 'above my pay bracket'

CANADIAN YouTuber Christopher "Chris Must List" Hughes says he will now defend himself in court as he cannot afford to pay his legal fees.

Hughes claimed on August 21, he was told he had two days to pay US$40,000 for just two court hearings. However, his former lead attorney Pamela Elder, SC, says this is not true.

Elder confirmed to Newday that she and her junior attorney Russell Warner no longer represented Hughes, but "Whatever transpired between us is subject to legal, professional privilege."

Elder said Hughes's claim contained "gross inaccuracies/distortion of facts."

The 45-year-old travel vlogger was charged with sedition in June and subsequently granted $100,000 bail. While he does regular travel vlogs, he was most well known for his videos showing people with guns and discussing gang life. To date, he has pleaded innocent.

He was initially represented by attorney Criston Williams, but that later changed to Anand Ramlogan, SC (civil) and Elder, SC and Warner (criminal). Williams is now Hughes's bailor.

In an Instagram post on the night of August 21, Hughes said his next court hearing would be on August 23. Although virtual, he said the terms of his bail required him to be in Trinidad and Tobago to attend.

He was briefly allowed to travel home but his passport has since been confiscated.

In the video, Hughes continued saying he would be defending himself because "Freedom is not free in Trinidad.

"I'm a fairly new YouTuber and I don't have that kind of money.

"Two ten-minute virtual court hearings was US$50,000 (sic)...(and) was given no mention of such a price for so little work...

"New estimates for a senior lawyer could easily be over US$500,000 by the time this goes to trial, which I cannot afford."

Speaking to Newsday on August 22, Hughes said he still had not been given a time for his court hearing on August 23.

"They told me they would let me know by tonight or tomorrow morning."

He recalled Williams being his "knight in shining armour," but added that minutes before his first hearing, the Canadian High Commission told him he should get a senior lawyer and suggested Ramlogan.

Hughes said Ramlogan remained his civil lawyer and he "has not paid him a penny" as he had been representing him for free.

The other lawyers, he said, were suggested later on.

"I have no complaints at all as to what they do. Their price is just no where near the money I make as a YouTuber. I don't have those type of finances (so) I had to let them go."

He said before his last court appearance, he was sent an invoice for US$8,000, which he paid.

"But then the first day when I touched down in Trinidad, here comes another US$40,000 bill."

He said the invoice did not show a breakdown in what the fees cover. Although he refused to give Newsday a copy of it, he allowed a reporter to view the document on his cellphone. It was sent to him via WhatsApp.

There was no price breakdown and the total in the final column showed US$40,000 inclusive of VAT. But services listed included preparing and reviewing files, court appearances, obtaining statements from police, research, among other things.

He said he also tried accessing a public defender but did not qualify because his annual was too high.

Newsday asked if he asked to negotiate upon receiving the invoice, to which he said no.

Newsday also asked if previous discussions were not had about expected costs and he said no.

"I'm smart enough to know senior lawyers got that name and those initials (SC) by doing a lot of good work. It's just above my pay bracket...

"Like a fancy restaurant, they can dictate the price they want to sell their services for."

On representing himself, he said he had been getting advice from Williams as well as an UK-based strategist familiar with TT's laws.

"I have some very intelligent minds that surround me.

"It's a very tough situation I'm in and I believe I'm innocent."

Speaking to Newsday on August 22, head of the Criminal Bar Association Israel Khan, SC, said generally – as guided by the Law Association – criminal lawyers charged between TT$3,000 and $4,000 an hour for preparation for non-litigation cases.

However, he added that when it gets to court, there is no limitation on prices and it is up to the client.

Newsday understands the US$40,000 was meant to cover three Magistrate's Court appearances, two bail hearings and the entire trial, regardless of how many appearances it took to be completed.