Council of Legal Education

Overview

Established in 1971 with responsibility for legal education and training in the region, the Commonwealth Caribbean’s Council of Legal Education (CLE) operates three law schools:

The Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago
The Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica
The Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas

The CLE Vision

To be a world leader in higher education through innovation, creativity, and relevance in a system of practical legal education that is rooted in our history as a Caribbean people and is designed to enhance the practice of law and the jurisprudence of the Caribbean, to empower our people; and develop our societies throughout the 21st Century.

The CLE Mission

To facilitate the development of competent legal practitioners for the Region who, appreciating their responsibility as members of an honourable profession and recognising the needs of their socio-economic environment, are inspired in the pursuit of excellence, the maintenance of high ethical standards, the promotion of social justice and the strengthening of the rule of law.

The Background

The Council has been in existence for over 40 years and trains legal practitioners in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

Pursuant to Article 1 (a) of the Agreement Establishing the Council of Legal Education, the Council is made up of the following members:

the Attorneys General of member Governments
the Judiciary (the Chief Justices of member Governments)
the practicing legal profession (chosen by the relevant professional associations)
the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of the West Indies
the Principals of the Council’s three Law Schools.

Quality Policy

It is the policy of the Council of Legal Education to provide legal education and training that is internationally competitive – producing highly capable and motivated graduates who are equipped to meet the challenges of the legal profession in the 21st century and beyond.

The Council is further committed to developing a reputation for the high quality of its programmes and continuing professional education that allows regional practitioners to keep abreast of developments in the profession and develop new skills in fields of emerging importance.

In achieving these objectives, we will utilize a variety of design and delivery mechanisms and collaborate with other institutions to ensure that these programmes are world-class, intellectually stimulating and challenging and relevant to the needs of practitioners at all stages of their careers.

This policy shall be implemented and be the guiding force behind each institution of the Council of Legal Education. It shall be distributed and made known to each employee of the Council who shall be required to commit themselves to the achievement of objectives and shall be able to contribute to its continuous review and modification through periodic consultation

The Crest

This consists of a male Magnificent Frigate Bird with outstretched wings with a red throat patch in its breeding season, perched on a gold balance on a wreath alternatively gold and red.

The Supporters

On the left side a man dressed in a hat and wearing trousers and the sleeves of his open shirt rolled and holding in his hand and resting his foot on an agricultural fork. On the right side a woman dressed in a tartan pattered jupe with bodice and petticoat, wearing a head-dress of Madras cloth and holding in her hand a star-apple plant. The growing plant in the hand of the woman is the symbol of fertility and represents the verdant flora of the region. The man and the woman represents the foundation of the West Indian family life and depict the idea of the law being made by and for the people.

The Badge

This consist of a gold disc powered with black ermine spots thereon two caimite or star-apple leaves, the one on the left showing the upper side and the one on the right showing the under side.

Chairman of the Council of Legal Education

Ms. Liesel Weekes, S.C.

At its recently concluded Annual Meeting held on September 16 and 17, 2022 in Barbados, the Council of Legal Education elected Ms. Liesel Weekes as Chairman for the 2022 – 2025 term.

Ms. Liesel Natasha Weekes is a Trinidadian born attorney- at-law admitted to practice both in Trinidad and Tobago and in Barbados since 1998. She is a senior member of the Aegis Chambers Attorneys-at- Law. Ms. Weekes sits on the Judicial Council of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Barbados from 2014 to date. She is also a member of the steering committee of the JURIST project, also funded by the Canadian Government, from 2014 to date.

Ms. Weekes has held the post of the President of the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA), from September 2014 to March 2018; and was a member of the Steering Committee as well as the Legal Profession Technical Advisory Group of the Canadian Government Funded Improved Access to Justice (IMPACT) project from 2014 to 2019. Ms. Weekes served three consecutive terms as President of the Barbados Bar Association and has been its Bar Representative on the Council of Legal Education since 2016.

The Chairman has signaled that her focus will be on working with members of the Council to develop the framework needed to advance legal education in the Caribbean. A review of both the law schools’ curriculum and the Treaty establishing the Council of Legal Education will be conducted to assist with this.

Council of Legal Education