New attorney Shaddiah Hinds with her mother, Sheldine Hinds and father, Wayne Hewitt, on the steps of the Supreme Court, after she was called to the Bar.
THE importance of maintaining high ethical standards in the practice of law can never be overstated.
One of Barbados’ newest attorneys, Shaddiah Hinds, stressed the above as she spoke on behalf of her colleagues before the island’s new Chief Justice Patterson Cheltenham, Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of the High Court, and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall. Her comments came as a total of 32 new attorneys were called to the Bar, during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Supreme Court Complex in Whitepark Road, St. Michael on Friday.
“Law is often referred to as a noble profession. Lawyers have been instrumental in changing the trajectory of society. We acknowledge that the conduct of irresponsible and unethical attorneys-at-law threatens to erode the nobility of the profession. But as we were reminded by the Hon. Attorney General on Wednesday, the reputation of the profession is not unsalvageable. In this regard, it is my hope that our admission to the Bar enriches the legal fraternity and that our conduct as attorneys-at-law helps to repair said reputation,” Hinds remarked.
“The importance of ethics and the maintenance of high ethical standards in this profession cannot be overstated. The ethics course director at Hugh Wooding Law School, Mrs. Aberleen Boodoosingh, encouraged us to read the Code of Ethics at least one hundred times before the exam. While this may have sounded like an overkill to us as students, as attorneys-at-law we recognise that we must be familiar with what the Code dictates or stipulates. Moreover, we recognise that we must go beyond familiarity and committing Code provisions to memory. We must and we do resolve to be honest and to maintain the highest standard of integrity throughout our legal careers,” Hinds further commented.
Noting that throughout their legal careers the lawyers will likely face difficult choices and the stakes may often be high, she stated, “We may often be faced with opportunities for monetary gain and be confronted with the question of just how much does money and prestige mean to us, when weighed against ethics. I pray that our conviction never waivers in the face of such a question and that we always choose to do what is ethical.” (RSM)