Legal fraternity in good hands

The legal fraternity is in good hands says Queen’s Counsel Parnell Campbell.

“There are many young, bright lawyers and they are willing to learn, always asking for advice, which is good,” said Campbell.{{more}}

As the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this week Campbell said that even though law to him was a means to an end at the beginning of his career, he couldn’t see himself doing anything else if he had to do it all over again.

Prior to his journey in law Campbell pursued his other love, teaching – but when he was dismissed from his teaching position in May 1970 because of his political activism, law became his only choice and he enrolled at the UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados in September that year.

“Now I do both, practice law and teach,” he said.

His teaching is in the form of his weekly The Law and You public information television programme that is in its 10th year of

existence.

Campbell told SEARCHLIGHT that his major concern about the justice system is the work load that he believes is too much for the two resident judges.

“When you think that in 1967 the number of cases in the justice system numbered 157 and in 2006 that number was 700, one could see what I mean,” Campbell said.

He noted that cases have become much more complex than they were in previous times with some cases containing up to 5000 pages of documents.

Campbell, who was Attorney General under the former NDP administration for eight years said that he has confidence in the justice system.

“It is not perfect but it is very efficient,” he said.