~~Adz:Left~~BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, OCTOBER 25TH 2006 - A new face in the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly on Thursday.
Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, the Hon. Dennis Merchant, who was appointed to the post last month, following the retirement of His Excellency Mr. Delano Bart, will take the oath of office as a member of the lawmaking body when it convenes.
Born at Bird Rock, St. Kitts, Mr. Merchant attended the Basseterre High School. After leaving school in 1976, he took up employment as Clerk to the Magistrate in St. Kitts before travelling to England to attend Matthew Bolton Technical College in 1980. He attended the University of Central England in Birmingham, where he obtained his law degree in 1986.
He qualified as a practicing solicitor at the College of Law in England in 1989 and successfully completed the Legal Education Certificate at the Hugh Wooding Law School in 1995.
Mr. Merchant is a former civil servant in the Department of Health and Social Security in Birmingham and is a former trainee solicitor at Robert Thompson & Partners; and Ceres & Co (1988 to 19990); a practicing Solicitor at Ralph Haeems & Co (1990 to 1992); and Managing Director and Head of the Criminal Department at Ratip Partnership, Solicitors in East Ham from 1995 to 1996).
After practicing for a year at Worrel Nero Attorneys in the United States from 1996 to 1997, Mr. Merchant returned to St. Kitts and served from 1997 to 1998 as Senior Crown Council in the Attorney General's Chambers; as Acting Director of Public Prosecutions from 1998 to 1999; and from 1999 to present as Director of Public Prosecutions.
