By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Wednesday 26th February 2025)- Premier Mark Brantley, who is a trained lawyer, is of the view that in matters where lawyers are accused of being on the wrong side of the law, suspension by the Bar Association should be considered as disciplinary action.
“One of the things, for example, that has troubled me is that we have lawyers who are charged with very serious offenses who, I’m told, continue to practice like nothing happened. And whilst I understand that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, I can’t comprehend how somebody charged with such serious criminal offenses can still be holding themselves out.”
Brantley expressed his opinion while responding to a question posed by a reporter-during his monthly press conference held on Wednesday 26th February 2025- on the topic of recent developments concerning three lawyers on St. Kitts who have been charged by police.
He called for measures to be put in place to ensure at least suspension while legal proceedings are ongoing.
“To me, there should be some provision where there’s at least some suspension until those matters are cleared up. But some of them continue as if nothing has happened. And we have been struck because I think not one, not two, but three lawyers we’ve heard about charged with very, very serious matters in the last fortnight or two.”
Brantley emphasized the self-regulating nature of the legal profession and pointed at waiting to see what the Bar Association is going to do in addressing such issues.
“The law is one of those few professions that is allowed the courtesy of regulating itself. And so I am waiting to see what the Bar Association is going to do in relation to these rogue elements within the legal profession; how it’s going to deal with them.”
He had expressed “sad” concerns as he elaborated on a recent social media post he made.
“Lawyers charged on St. Kitts. I, in fact, said something about it on social media, on Facebook. I find it very sad. It seems to me that many feel that to become a lawyer, it’s about passing the requisite exams. While that is important, to me the bigger part of being a lawyer is the ethics, the integrity that the profession has.”
The Premier pointed at the negative publicity reaching his overseas colleagues which he is embarrassed by.
“And so it’s a serious matter. I think that, you know, when colleagues in Jamaica, for example, can send me press articles about what’s going on in St. Kitts and Nevis, I am embarrassed by it. That is not the standard that we expect from lawyers. That’s not the standard we expect from people who are charged with upholding the law.”
Brantley highlighted the importance of ethical conduct within the legal profession and encouraged those in the profession now and those coming in lawyers to uphold the highest standards.
“I ask the question, who’s going to guard the guardians? Because if you are the guardians of the law and you are bent on breaking the law, then we have a very serious problem in our country. And so I hope that those in the profession now, and those who are coming into the profession, that if any of them has been tempted to do what is wrong, they right that ship and they start to do the right things and be ethical, because ethical considerations are the core of who we are as lawyers; I think I can include myself in that talk.”