AG Nandlall calls for overhaul of legal profession

Speaking at the opening of the Law Year 2026 at the High Court in Georgetown on Tuesday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, said there is an urgent need to reform the way the legal profession operates and is regulated.

The attorney general argued that attorneys must be held to higher standards of accountability, transparency, ethical conduct and professional competence.

He explained that the legal profession has not changed its rules or responsibilities since independence, unlike the medical profession, which continues to evolve through strict regulations, required ongoing education, telemedicine, and digitalisation.

The senior counsel said the legal profession has remained largely stagnant, a situation he warned should not be allowed to continue. He disclosed that he has already held discussions with the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, who is fully supportive of reform.

The Guyana Bar Association President, Kamal Ramkarran, has also been invited to begin formal engagements later this month aimed at reshaping the regulatory framework governing the profession.

“We need mandatory membership of the profession in a framework that will govern the profession. We need strong disciplinary processes that must be activated to deal with serious allegations of misconduct, negligence and dishonesty,” said AG Nandlall.

The AG also called for a structured, staged induction into the profession to ensure higher standards among new entrants.

Turning to court operations, he said he would encourage the judiciary to return more frequently to in-person hearings.

“I am hoping that I can persuade the judiciary to resort to in-person hearings with greater regularity. I do not underestimate the value of Zoom hearings. We have great utilitarian value in relation to certain applications, but trials, submissions, and presentation of oral arguments, I believe it should be done in person,” he said.

Meanwhile, the opening of the Law Year 2026 featured all judges of the Supreme Court, including the High Court, the Full Court, and the Court of Appeal.

The ceremony included the traditional call to order by the court martial, followed by a ceremonial parade by ranks of the Guyana Police Force and a special sitting of the Full Bench of the High Court to mark the start of the new law year. DPI