The Virgin Islands General Legal Council is a body established under the Legal Professions Act, 2015 of the British Virgin Islands. The Act was passed on 25 March 2015 by the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands, and came into force on 11 November 2015. The inaugural Council was appointed in January 2016. There are questions as to the competence of the Council as it relates to its responsibilities, given that it has accomplished next to nothing since its inception.

Composition and functions

Under the Legal Profession Act, the Council will consist of seven persons: # a Chairman who shall be a senior legal practitioner who is a

Belonger Belonger status is a legal classification normally associated with British Overseas Territories. It refers to people who have close ties to a specific territory, normally by birth or ancestry. The requirements for belonger status, and the right ...

of not less than 10 years' standing, and is nominated by the Chief Justice; # a Deputy Chairman who shall be the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

; # the President of the

BVI Bar Association The BVI Bar Association is a voluntary association, voluntary membership organisation for members of the legal profession in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The Association was founded on 8 May 1976. Of the eight founder members, half would g ...

; # two legal practitioners nominated by the BVI Bar Association of not less than 5 years' standing, one of whom must be a Belonger; # one person nominated by the

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

, who is not a legal practitioner and who is a Belonger; and # one legal practitioner who is a Belonger, nominated by the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. Each member of the Council (other than the Attorney General and the President of the BVI Bar Association) may serve up to two consecutive three year terms. The Registrar of the High Court would serve as Secretary of the Council. Key functions with respect to the profession in the Territory such as ethics, professional discipline, admission to practice and the validation of training institutions and pupillages shall be delegated to the Council. The Council shall collect enrolment fees and other monies from members of the profession also.Section 4, Legal Profession Act, 2015

Current composition

The inaugural Council was appointed in January 2016 and remains incumbent. The present members are:

Territorial Constitution

The Virgin Islands General Legal Council is also referenced in the Constitution of the British Virgin Islands. Under article 94(1) there is provision for a Judicial and Legal Services Commission in which the proposed Council would have a role in the appointment process. The Judicial and Legal Services Commission exercises its constitutional functions in relation to the appointment of various legal and judicial roles in the British Virgin Islands, including the

Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands The Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands is the principal legal adviser to the Government of the British Virgin Islands. Under the Constitution of the British Virgin Islands the Attorney General sits ''ex officio'' in both the House of ...

References

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General Legal Council The General Legal Council is the body that regulates the Legal Profession in Ghana. It was set up in 1960 by an act of parliament, The Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32). Its role was to oversee legal education and the legal profession in the cou ...