The Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) is a

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

History

Named for Trinidad and Tobago jurist and politician

Hugh Wooding Sir Hugh Olliviere Beresford Wooding (14 January 1904 – 26 July 1974) was a lawyer and politician from Trinidad and Tobago. Legal career Hugh Wooding was born in Trinidad and Tobago into a family that hailed from Barbados. In 1914, he was a ...

, HWLS is one of three

s empowered by the (Caribbean) Council of Legal Education to award

Legal Education Certificate In the Commonwealth Caribbean, a Legal Education Certificate is a professional certification awarded to a person who has completed a course of study and training at a law school established by the Council of Legal Education. It was created by Articl ...

s, along with the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

. It opened its doors to students in September 1973. 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. In 1996, the Council of Legal Education made the controversial decision to require LLB graduates from the

University of Guyana The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, is Guyana's national higher education institution. It was established in April 1963 with the following Mission: "To discover, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the highest standard for ...

to take an entrance examination for admission to HWLS.

Notable alumni

Kenneth Benjamin Kenneth Charlie Griffith Benjamin (born 8 April 1967) is a former cricketer from Antigua and Barbuda who played 26 Tests and 26 One Day Internationals for the West Indies. Playing career A right arm fast bowler, Benjamin spent much of his i ...

Chief Justice of Belize The Chief Justice of Belize is the head of the Supreme Court of Belize. Under Chapter 7 of the Constitution of Belize, the Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Since the retirement of Kenneth ...

since 2011 *

Adriel Brathwaite Adriel Dermont Brathwaite, SC (born 1962) is a Barbadian politician and lawyer, who formally held the positions of Attorney-General, Minister of Home Affairs, and Member of Parliament for Saint Philip South. Career Brathwaite is an attorney-a ...

Attorney-General of Barbados The Attorney-General of Barbados is the primary legal advisor to the Government of Barbados. Legal basis According to Article 72 of the Constitution of Barbados, the Attorney-General holds ministerial rank in the government. He may, in the case of ...

since 2010 *

Anthony Carmona Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona (born 7 March 1953) is a Trinidadian politician who was the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago, from 2013 to 2019. Previously he was a High Court Judge at the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, and he served ...

, 5th President of Trinidad and Tobago, ex judge-elect of the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...

*Hukumchand (class of 2000), former

National Assembly of Guyana The National Assembly is one of the two components of the Parliament of Guyana. Under Article 51 of the Constitution of Guyana, the Parliament of Guyana consists of the President and the National Assembly. The National Assembly has 65 members ele ...

member * Winston Murray (class of 2000), former Minister of Trade of Guyana *Keith Sobion, graduate and former principal, first local graduate to become Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago * Maureen Rajnauth-Lee, justice on the

Caribbean Court of Justice The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ; nl, Caribisch Hof van Justitie; french: Cour Caribéenne de Justice) is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Established in 2005, it is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. ...

* Charlesworth Samuel, former Member of the

Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda The Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda consists of the King of Antigua and Barbuda, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Parliament as a whole is charged with certain responsibilities and is given special powers and privileges in orde ...

* David Thompson, sixth

Prime Minister of Barbados The prime minister of Barbados is the head of government of Barbados. The prime minister is appointed by the President of Barbados, president under the terms of the Constitution of Barbados, Constitution. As the nominal holder of executive aut ...

* Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, Belize's Director of Public Prosecutions since 2008 *Elson Gaskin, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados since 2016 *

Kamla Persad-Bissessar Kamla Persad-Bissessar ( ; born Kamla Susheila Persad, 22 April 1952), often referred to by her initials KPB, is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer, politician and educator who is the Leader of the Opposition of Trinidad and Tobago, politic ...

, 7th and first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago *

Paula-Mae Weekes Paula-Mae Weekes (born 23 December 1958) is a Trinidadian politician and jurist who is the sixth president of Trinidad and Tobago. She is the first female President of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the second female head of state in Trinidad an ...

, 6th and first female

President of Trinidad and Tobago The president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the head of state of Trinidad and Tobago and the commander-in-chief of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a republic in 1976, before ...

Dia Forrester Dia C. Forrester is a retired lawyer who served as Grenada’s Attorney General from 1 January 2021 until 1 July 2022, following the 2022 general election. Early life and education Forrester is the daughter of cultural activist Don Charles and Agn ...

, first Female Attorney General of Grenada *

Sandra Mason Dame Sandra Prunella Mason (born 17 January 1949) is a Barbadian politician, lawyer, and diplomat who is serving as the first president of Barbados since 2021. She was previously the eighth and final governor-general of Barbados from 2018 to 20 ...

, last

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

and first

President of Barbados The president of Barbados is the head of state of Barbados and the commander-in-chief of the Barbados Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a parliamentary republic on 30 November 2021. Before, the head of state was ...

References

{{authority control Law in the Caribbean Educational institutions established in 1973 Universities in Trinidad and Tobago 1973 establishments in Trinidad and Tobago University of the West Indies

History

Notable alumni

See also

References