The General Legal Council (‘the Council’) hereby informs the general public as follows:-
The Council was established by the Legal Profession Act No. 25/2011 as amended by Act No 27/2012 (‘the Act”) which came into force on 1st October 2012.
The Act in its long title encapsulates the purpose of the Act-
“An act to provide for the regulation of the legal profession, for the qualification, enrolment and discipline of its members and for related matters’.
And the general purpose of the Council is set out in s.5 of the Act-
“There shall be established for the purposes of the Act a body to be known as the General Legal Council which shall be concerned with the legal profession and in particular with regulating and upholding standards of professional conduct”.
The present members of the Council who have been duly appointed by Dame Cecile La Grenade Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and St. George, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Governor-General of and in the State of Grenada pursuant to section 5 of the Act are:-
Chairperson: the Hon. Justice Rita Joseph –Olivetti, Retired Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed with effect from 1 June 2016 for a period of three years;
The Hon Attorney General Mr. Cajeton Hood, Member as Attorney General, appointed with effect from 1 June 2016 for a period of three years
Ms. Celia Clyne Edwards QC representative of the Inner bar appointed with effect from 1 June 2016 for a period of three years
Mr. Rohan Phillip, Attorney-at-Law appointed with effect from 1 June 2016 for a period of three years
Ms Thandiwe Lyle Attorney-at-Law appointed with effect from 1 June 2016 for a period of three years
Both representatives of the Utter Bar
Mr. Michael Archibald, Member representing the public appointed with effect from 1 June 2016 for a period of three years
Mr. Daniel Roberts, Member representing the public appointed with effect from 1 June 2016 for a period of three years
Both representatives of the general public as determined by Her Excellency the Hon. Dame Cecile La Grenada as empowered by the Act.
The Secretary to the Council is the Registrar of the West Indies Associated States Supreme Court of Grenada with offices situate at:
The Supreme Court Registry, Church Street, St. Georges
Phone: 1 473 440 2030
Email: registrargda@spiceisle.com
All correspondence to the Council must be directed to the Secretary at her office
In brief the mandate of the Council as laid down by the Act is to:-
- Issue practising certificates to Attorneys-at-law to enable them to practice law in the State;
- To prescribe legal fees for non-contentious business upon consultation with the Bar Association;
- To make rules as to the keeping of clients’ accounts and to hear complaints about failure to observe those rules;
- To make rules establishing classes of membership for professional indemnity insurance and to provide for exemptions;
- To put in place continuing education for the legal profession;
- To review any allegations of professional misconduct against an attorney-at-law made by his/her client in the prescribed form to the Council and to investigate the matter if the Council determines that the allegations so merit;
- To investigate allegations of commission of disciplinary offences as prescribed by the Act;
The Council as a quasi-judicial tribunal has a duty to act fairly in all its proceedings and its members will use their best endeavour to carry out the mandate given to the Council by the Act in the best interests of the public and the legal profession to ensure that we have a legal profession that we can all rely on and be proud of.
