Legal training a must, says AG

Legal training could become compulsory before a judge or magistrate is appointed the bench.
The idea was thrown out by Attorney-General Adriel Brathwaite, as he delivered opening remarks at the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO) at the Accra Beach hotel today.
Speaking to 150 members of the judiciary and legal fraternity from Barbados, the region , France, the United Kingdom and the United States, Brathwaite said currently the pre-requisite for appointment to the Bench was “five years’ Call or ten years’ Call”.
“Here is Barbados, if you recognize that we should have continuing legal education for magistrates and judges, [why] shouldn’t [we] have a situation where you should make it compulsory to have training for potential magistrates and judges before they are selected to the Bench,” Brathwaite noted, adding that the idea would soon be up for discussion.
The Attorney-General stressed that continuing legal education was key for current judges and magistrates but suggested that a regional financial approach should be taken towards it.