Two siblings – Ama, 25, and Delonte De Clou, 23, were admitted to the local Bar on Monday at the Victoria Law Courts in Georgetown. For them, it was perseverance and team spirit that brought them to the end of five years of legal studies.
Attorneys-at-Law Ama and Delonte De Clou
The studious duo is following in the footsteps of their mother, Gloria De Clou who is a practicing lawyer in Jamaica, and their aunt, Louise Blenman who sits as Justice of Appeal at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Roxane George, SC, officially accepted the petitions of Ama and her younger brother – both recent graduates of the Hugh Wooding Law School. Their petition to practise law in and before the courts of Guyana was presented by Senior Counsel Rafiq Khan. Justice of Appeal Blenman joined the Bar call via Zoom.
Ama and Delonte completed their Bachelor of Laws at the University of Guyana (UG), passing with credit and distinction, respectively before enrolling at the Trinidad and Tobago-based law school.
Quoting an unknown author, the Chief Justice said, “Life is a journey; it is not where you end up but how you get there”. With this, she told the siblings that they have come to the end of one part of life’s journey to becoming lawyers.
Justice George said to them that how they have reached this far is evident from their excellent academic performances which demonstrate their industry and commitment to excellence. To this end, she urged them to “let how” they got here be foremost in all their endeavours as attorneys-at-law.
While nothing that she believes there is a Blenman-De Clou dynasty in the making, the Chief Justice told the siblings that they are very fortunate to have an aunt who is a Justice of Appeal and a mother who is an excellent attorney-at-law.
In light of this, Justice George reminded the siblings that they have “big shoes” to follow and expressed that she does not doubt that they will live up to expectations given their pedigree, background, and obvious industry.
Justice George said she senses that the two young lawyers fully understand and appreciate the importance of the ethics of the legal profession. She explained to them that law is a noble profession that requires a higher standard of integrity.
“When you give your word to the court, your fellow counsel, or to your client, it must be your word,” she said to Delonte and his sister. She told them that mistakes will always be made since they are only humans, but what is important, she noted, is that they own up to their mistakes and try to correct them.
Justice George also urged them to always be frank with the court and their clients.
She added, “We expect that you will be respectful to the court, respectful to your colleagues, and very importantly respectful to your client whomever they may be.”
In closing, Justice George urged them to contribute to the region’s jurisprudence.
For the De Clou siblings, it was perseverance and faith that led to them successfully making it through law school. Although they credited each other for their success, they also acknowledged the continuous support of their parents, relatives, and friends to whom they said they are forever indebted.
They also chronicled their journey to the Bar during which they highlighted many of their ups and downs. Ama and Delonte, nevertheless, expressed that they are overjoyed to become members of the Bar and vowed to uphold the high standards of the legal profession and the rule of law.
