Established by Treaty in 1970, the Council of Legal Education (the Council) is responsible for the provision of legal education in territories signatory to the Treaty across the Caribbean. The Council executes this mandate through oversight of its three law schools namely the Hugh Wooding Law School (Trinidad and Tobago), the Norman Manley Law School (Jamaica) and the Eugene Dupuch Law School (The Bahamas). Territories signatory to the Treaty include: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

In July 1969, the Council of the University of the West Indies agreed, inter alia,

“ that the Council of Legal Education would be brought into being by agreement between the contributing governments and would establish two professional law schools – one in Jamaica and the other in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Overview:

Established in 1971, and operationalized in 1972, the Council of Legal Education has been charged with treating with legal education in the Caribbean. The Council of Legal Education is a regional institution, which has oversight of legal education and the qualifications for legal practice in the West Indies. It administers three professional Law Schools, Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad & Tobago and Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas. The functions and powers of Council defined in Article 1 section (3) are as follows:

(a) to undertake and discharge general responsibility for the practical professional training of persons seeking to become members of the legal profession;

(b) to establish, equip and maintain Law Schools, one in Jamaica, one in Trinidad and Tobago and in such other territories as the Council may from time to time determine, for the purpose of providing post graduate professional legal training;

(c) to appoint a Principal of each Law School and all necessary staff;

(d) to make proper provision for courses of study and practical instruction, for the award of scholarships, studentships, bursaries, and prizes, and for holding examinations and granting diplomas and certificates;

(e) to evaluate courses of study provided by and to accord appropriate recognition of legal qualifications obtained at other institutions;

(f) in the exercise of any of the above functions or powers to enter into any such agreements with the University of the West Indies, and the University of Guyana as the Council shall think fit;

(g) to appoint Committees of the Council and to delegate to any such Committee such of its powers as the Council shall think fit provided that the Council shall nevertheless maintain overall responsibility for co-ordinating training throughout the area on a planned and integrated basis paying due regard to the needs of the several participating territories;

(h) to make regulations for the due discharge of its functions, for the courses and examinations at the Law Schools, and for prescribing fees to be paid and disciplinary rules to be observed by persons admitted to the Law Schools and, subject to the provisions of Articles 7 and 8, to regulate its own procedures;

(i) to do all such other acts and things whether incidental to the powers aforesaid or not as may be requisite in order to further the objects of the Council.