Award of silk by LATT only

THE EDITOR: I do not understand why the Government has to be involved in the granting of senior counsel (SC) status to attorneys. Why must the Prime Minister, the Attorney-General and the Chief Justice be involved in this process? Any such involvement taints the awards as there will be the perception of bias, whether justified or not.

Honorary doctorates are awarded by universities without any input from governments. Professionals within such institutions deliberate and decide who should receive such awards. The awardees do not have to be former students or faculty members, and they are not usually affiliated with the particular university in any way.

I do not understand why a similar procedure cannot be adopted in the awarding of silk. In this regard, this matter should fall exclusively within the domain of the relevant professional body, namely the Law Association of TT (LATT).

LOUIS W WILLIAMS

St Augustine