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| Law Association members outside the Hall of Justice |
Ut made the decision Thursday at a special general meeting at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain.
Association President Dana Seetahal told local media members of the association had unanimously decided on setting up the committee.
"The resolution is that the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago appoint a committee of people drawn from its members to decide whether the appointment of Senior Counsel should be abolished and if not, to make recommendations for and to propose criteria for the appointment of Senior Counsel or the persons eligible for such appointments and the obligations of persons given this honour," she said.
"As you know, the association has over 1,600 members so we have not settled on who would be appointed as yet, but it will be decided in a short space of time," she added.
The award of SILK to more than a dozen persons last month became a highly controversial matter with several top lawyers saying it was wrong for the award to go to judges. The Chief justice, Ivor Archie, and Appeal Court justice Wendell Kangaloo, subsequently returned the instruments although both of them stated that there was nothing wrong in the award of the title to them.
"The resolution is that the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago appoint a committee of people drawn from its members to decide whether the appointment of Senior Counsel should be abolished and if not, to make recommendations for and to propose criteria for the appointment of Senior Counsel or the persons eligible for such appointments and the obligations of persons given this honour," she said.
"As you know, the association has over 1,600 members so we have not settled on who would be appointed as yet, but it will be decided in a short space of time," she added.
The award of SILK to more than a dozen persons last month became a highly controversial matter with several top lawyers saying it was wrong for the award to go to judges. The Chief justice, Ivor Archie, and Appeal Court justice Wendell Kangaloo, subsequently returned the instruments although both of them stated that there was nothing wrong in the award of the title to them.
On Wednesday Attorney General Anand Ramlogan also instructed the chairman of the Law Reform Commission to prepare a Green Paper for public consultation on the issue of Senior Counsel.
In a statement, Ramlogan declared: "Fifty years have elapsed since Independence and the Attorney General readily accepts that a slavish adherence to tradition is not in keeping with the progressive developmental thrust of an evolving democratic society...
"Accordingly, the time has come to examine the continuing relevance and character of the award and the criteria for the same," the release stated.
In a statement, Ramlogan declared: "Fifty years have elapsed since Independence and the Attorney General readily accepts that a slavish adherence to tradition is not in keeping with the progressive developmental thrust of an evolving democratic society...
"Accordingly, the time has come to examine the continuing relevance and character of the award and the criteria for the same," the release stated.
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