BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE St. Kitts and Nevis Bar Association held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday (Apr. 18) and Queen’s Counsel Charles Wilkin was re-elected to serve as President of the statutory body for another year.
This is the first AGM held by the Association since it became a statutory body by virtue of the Legal Profession Act.
A communiqué from the Association stated that the meeting received a report of the Bar Council on the activities of the Association since election of the Council in September 2011 and also on the work of its various committees including the Legislative Review Committee and its Website Committee.
It noted that in addition to Wilkin, Patricia Dublin-Lewis and Delara Maclure Taylor were re-elected as Vice President and Treasurer respectively.
Also re-elected for another year as Council Members, were Tapley Seaton Q.C., Theodore Hobson, Dahlia Joseph, Shawna Late, Miselle O’Brien-Norton, Arudranauth Gossai and Adrian Scantlebury.
The Bar Council report also informed the meeting that Practicing Certificates were issued by the Registrar pursuant to the Act to those qualified practitioners who have applied.
The communiqué explained that “the Legal Profession Act makes it illegal for an Attorney to practice law without such certificate.
The report also informed that the Hon. Chief Justice had appointed a Disciplinary Committee of the Association, which is given responsibility by the Act for hearing complaints of misconduct brought against members of the legal profession.
“The disciplinary powers given to the Committee by the Act include power to fine an Attorney found guilty of misconduct and to order the payment by the Attorney of compensation, interest and costs to the aggrieved client who made the complaint,” the communiqué said.
The meeting was followed by a presentation by the accounting firm of Lanns Monish & Associates on the keeping by an Attorney of separate bank accounts and proper accounting records for clients’ monies entrusted to the Attorney.
The Act empowers the Council to make enforceable rules in this regard and a breach of the rules will constitute professional misconduct and expose the Attorney to disciplinary action.
