Bar president sounds alarm on lack of criminal lawyers in Antigua (VIDEO)

The president of the Antigua and Barbuda Bar Association warned that the country’s criminal bar is shrinking and struggling to attract young lawyers, as he paid tribute to the late Sir Gerald Watt KC at the former Speaker’s official funeral.

“You can count on one hand the number of lawyers in Antigua whose practice is substantially criminal,” Bar Association President Dr. Lenworth Johnson said, describing the situation as a serious concern for the administration of justice.

Johnson said most young attorneys show little interest in criminal practice and that those who do often retreat after an initial attempt. “Most, if not all, young attorneys have no interest in entering the field,” he said. “Some tentatively take a step and eventually pull back.”

He said the challenges of criminal law are well known. “Criminal practice is tough and emotional, and one needs the right mindset,” Johnson said, adding that the profession and state authorities have yet to find an effective way to significantly increase the number of lawyers working at the criminal bar.

Johnson said the Bar Association should engage the Attorney General, Stedroy Benjamin, himself a former leading criminal attorney, to help chart a way forward. “I accept that the bar needs to sit down with Mr. Stedroy Benjamin … to devise a solution to the problem,” he said. “I think that would be a fitting tribute.”

The remarks were delivered during the official funeral of Sir Gerald Watt, whom Johnson described as “an outstanding advocate of the criminal bar.”

Johnson said Sir Gerald’s career illustrated the level of commitment needed to sustain criminal practice. Over more than 60 years, he said, Sir Gerald filed at least 180 cases in the High Court and made more than 500 criminal applications, many of which became leading cases.

“He was fearless in the fight for justice for his client, no matter who stood in his way,” Johnson said, recalling a case in which Sir Gerald successfully sued another attorney for professional negligence after a client’s claim failed because a key legal doctrine was not pleaded.

Johnson said Sir Gerald’s legacy should serve as a call to action for the legal profession. “In Sir Gerald’s memory and honor, we in the Bar Association, along with the Attorney General, need to do all we can to encourage young lawyers to enter the criminal scene,” he said.

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