Judge Davidson Baptiste appointed acting judge of TCI Supreme Court
His Lordship, the Hon. Justice Davidson Kelvin Baptiste has been appointed Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of the Turks and Caicos Islands by the Judicial Services Commission. The appointment is for the period 1st February, 2023 to 30th April 2023. Justice Baptiste was born in the Commonwealth of Dominica and was admitted to practice in Dominica in 1984 after being called to the Bar in the Commonwealth of Dominica in 1984 and in the British Virgin Islands in 1993. His Lordship is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, where he obtained his Bachelor …
TCI Chief Justice’s Tenure Extended Until 2026
His Excellency Governor Nigel Dakin has accepted the Judicial Service Commission’s (JSC) recommendation to extend Her Ladyship, Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang’s contract until March 2026. Given the Chief Justice’s zeal and efforts to improve the Turks and Caicos Islands’ judicial system, the Governor expressed his delight at accepting the JSC’s recommendation. According to Governor Dakin the “very low-key and very effective Chief Justice” arrived in the TCI in March 2020, when the COVID pandemic begun without family to assume a position of national significance. Dakin recalled that the TCI needed a “reformer” in its next Chief Justice, and stated that …
First Female Appointed Governor of Turks and Caicos Islands
Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, a legal eagle, will become the first female governor of the Turks and Caicos in June 2023 when her appointment takes effect. Her appointment was made public by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on December 15, 2022. Selvaratnam, who was called to the bar in 1999, is the current governor of Anguilla and previously held a number of positions in the UK Ministry of Justice, giving her a lot of legal experience. The majority of that experience relates to strategy and change. From 2011 to 2015, she served as HM Courts and Tribunal Service’s Deputy Director of …
Justice K. Neville Adderley appointed as Acting President of TCI Court of Appeal
His Excellency Governor Nigel Dakin on November 15, 2022 appointed Mr. Justice K. Neville Adderley as acting President of the Court of Appeal with effect from 16 January, 2023 to 28 February, 2023. The Hon. Mr. Justice K. Neville Adderley has served as a non-resident Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Turks and Caicos Islands for the past 6 years. Justice Adderley is a former Bahamian Senator and has served as a member of the Bahamas’ Judiciary at the commercial bar for several years. He was a Justice of the Supreme Court for five years and at the …
TCI Bar Council Embarks Upon Review of Complaints and Disciplinary Process
The Bar Council of the Turks and Caicos Islands has embarked upon an urgent review of the complaints and disciplinary process prescribed in the Legal Profession Ordinance (LPO). The LPO is the Ordinance which governs the admission of attorneys and the practice of law in the Turks and Caicos Islands, including the handling of complaints against such attorneys. Presently the LPO prescribes various procedures and timelines which the Bar Council must follow when complaints have been filed against one of the members of the Bar Association. The LPO was first introduced to the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1997 and …
Limitation on lawsuits in Turks and Caicos comes into effect in October
The Limitations of Actions Ordinance 2021 which was enacted into law by the House of Assembly one year ago will soon come into effect following a one-year grace period. As of October 11, 2022, legal action for disputes that are several years old will no longer be entertained when that day arrives. The new law also extends limitation periods for some actions and excludes some action from certain limitations periods. Some civil actions under the new law like defamation, other malicious falsehoods, tort and simple contract which would have been considered expired by the commencement date of October 14, 2021 …
Justice Gruchot Appointed TCI High Court Judge
Justice Anthony Stephen Gruchot has taken up his appointment to the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court after being sworn in by His Excellency the Governor Nigel Dakin on August 5th, 2022. Justice Gruchot, whose appointment took effect on September 1st, is a graduate of the Sheffield Hallam University in England. He obtained his Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Sheffield University in 1998. In April 2000 Justice Gruchot was admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales and was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a Barrister through Lincoln’s Inn in November 2006. Justice Gruchot practised …
Mediation Centre Opens in Turks and Caicos Islands
A mediation centre dedicated to dispute resolution and restorative justice for the people of Turks and Caicos Islands has been opened in the country. Victims of crime as well as persons impacted by it now have a place to achieve healing and closure through Victim-Offender mediation. According to Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang, both court-connected mediation and the restorative justice process will be accessed at the Mediation Centre which was opened on July 15 at Emily House in Providenciales. The Mediation Centre will be the neutral place away from the intimidations associated with courtrooms; providing comfort, to allow for meaningful mediation …
Digital Access to Turks & Caicos Laws Imminent
Attorney-General of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, QC, announced that the laws of the land will be digitized and made public for residents of the country. With the passing of a motion in the House of Assembly, the preparation and publication of the revised laws will be made available online with free access to them. “The Cabinet has made the decision that in terms of the laws which are kept up to date and available on the Attorney General’s website and are updated as they are passed in the house of assembly and as they are made by …
Bar Association Offers Bursary Grant to Law Students
The TCI Bar Council announced the details of the annual TCI Bar Association Bursary Grant and invites suitably qualified applicants to apply. The Bursary Grant is a monetary award offered to students who are Turks and Caicos Islanders and are enrolled in full-time legal education at tertiary level. The programme of study must lead to a qualifying law degree permitting the student to further enroll onto a vocational law program geared towards the practice of law in accordance with section 5(1)(a) of the Legal Profession Ordinance and who must demonstrate an intention to return to the Turks and Caicos Islands …