Hugh Wooding Law School

Hugh Wooding Law School
Parent school	Council of Legal Education
Established	1973
Dean	Annestine Sealey
Location	Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago 10°39′07″N 61°23′59″W / 10.651836°N 61.399841°W
Website	hwls.edu.tt

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

History

Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician Hugh Wooding, HWLS is one of three law schools empowered by the 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 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 Guyanese Minister of Trade^[9]
• Keith Sobion, graduate and former principal, first local graduate to become Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago^[10]
• Charlesworth Samuel, former Member of the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda^[11]
• David Thompson, sixth Prime Minister of Barbados^[12]
• Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, Belize's Director of Public Prosecutions since 2008^[13]

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. 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. 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. "Samuel leaves legacy of political achievement". Antigua Sun. 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
12. "Bio on late PM David Thompson". The Daily Nation (Barbados). 23 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
13. "Graduates Directory - Hugh Wooding Members". CaribELaw. Retrieved 2012-04-22.