Hugh Wooding Law School

The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a law school in Trinidad and Tobago.

Hugh Wooding Law School
Parent school	Council of Legal Education
Established	1973
Dean	Miriam Samaru (Principal)
Location	Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago 10.651836°N 61.399841°W / 10.651836; -61.399841
Website	hwls.edu.tt

History

Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to award Legal Education Certificates, along with the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in the Bahamas. It opened its doors to students in September 1973.[1] In its early years, it was marked by a scandal when eight out of its ten tutors and lecturers resigned in protest over a student from the Trindadian Police Service (TTPS) who failed his examinations but was not asked to discontinue his studies.[2] In 1996, the Council of Legal Education made the controversial decision to require LLB graduates from the University of Guyana to take an entrance examination for admission to HWLS.[3][4][5]

Notable alumni

• Kenneth Benjamin, Chief Justice of Belize since 2011[6]
• Adriel Brathwaite, Attorney-General of Barbados since 2010[7]
• Anthony Carmona, 5th President of Trinidad and Tobago, ex judge-elect of the International Criminal Court[8]
• Hukumchand (class of 2000), former National Assembly of Guyana member[9]
• Winston Murray (class of 2000), former Minister of Trade of Guyana[9]
• Keith Sobion, graduate and former principal, first local graduate to become Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago[10]
• Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, justice on the Caribbean Court of Justice[11]
• Charlesworth Samuel, former Member of the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda[12]
• David Thompson, sixth Prime Minister of Barbados[13]
• Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, Belize's Director of Public Prosecutions since 2008[14]
• Elson Gaskin, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados since 2016[15]
• Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 7th and first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
• Paula-Mae Weekes, 6th and first female President of Trinidad and Tobago

See also

• University of the West Indies
• Legal education
• Law degree
• List of law schools
• Caribbean Law Institute

References

1. "The Schools". Council of Legal Education. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
2. "Professors Quit In Protest". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 1974-12-11. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
3. "The Hugh Wooding issue". Stabroek News. 1996-09-22. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
4. "Who's to blame?". Stabroek News. 1996-09-23. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
5. Waddell, Ronald (1997-07-01). "Law students angry at CLE decision". Stabroek News. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
6. Trapp, Adele (2011-07-29). "Guyanese jurist, Kenneth Benjamin, 56, to succeed Conteh". Amandala. Archived from the original on 2013-03-17. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
7. "The Hon. Adriel Brathwaite, M.P.: Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs". Barbados Government Information Service. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
8. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). International Criminal Court. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
9. "Winston Murray and fourteen others graduate from Hugh Wooding". Stabroek News. 2000-08-27. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
10. "A brilliant legal mind". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
11. "The Honourable Mme. Justice Rajnauth-Lee". Caribbean Court of Justice. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
12. "Samuel leaves legacy of political achievement". Antigua Sun. 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
13. "Bio on late PM David Thompson". The Daily Nation (Barbados). 23 October 2010. Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
14. "Graduates Directory - Hugh Wooding Members". CaribELaw. Archived from the original on 2013-03-23. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
15. Senior Officers. "Central Bank of Barbados". centralbank.org.bb.