Her father’s death devasted her, but new lawyer endured

…says call to Bar is “bittersweet moment”

Before a courtroom packed with family members, friends and well-wishers, a newly admitted Attorney-at-Law has shared what her journey was like in reaching to the Bar.
Undoubtedly, Ismat Bacchus had been faced with many challenges, but it was the death of her father, whom she described as her number one supporter, which had left her most distressed. Determined to make her father and the rest of her family members proud, this young woman has overcome the challenges she had had to confront, and has become one of Guyana’s newest lawyers.

Bacchus, who graduated from the Trinidad-based Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) last Saturday with her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) —the final academic qualification to practice as an Attorney in the Commonwealth Caribbean — has been admitted to practise law in and before the courts of Guyana on Friday. Her petition was presented by Attorney-at-Law Kamal Ramkarran before acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire, SC, at the Demerara High Court.
For the young lawyer, her Bar call was a “bittersweet moment”, since her dearly beloved father, who passed away during her final year in the Bachelor of Laws programme at the University of Guyana (UG), was not there to witness this feat. Bacchus persevered, and completed her law degree with distinction, after which she enrolled in the two-year LEC programme at HWLS. During her time at UG and HWLS, she worked with Attorneys-at-Law Jaya and Priya Manickchand. The latter person is Guyana’s Minister of Education.
According to Attorney Kamal Ramkarran, the Manickchand sisters assisted Bacchus to hone her skills for entry into the legal profession. “She has a great deal of practical experience, which will put her in good stead,” he said, as he presented Bacchus’s petition.
He shared that Bacchus, who has an avid interest in constitutional law and intends to work at the Attorney General’s Chambers, plans to pursue a Master’s in Investment Law and Foreign Policy with the hope of working with the Government to develop Guyana’s Foreign Policy.
The Chief Justice alluded to Bacchus’s law degree classification, and charged her to pursue her legal career with “distinction”: maintaining a high level of competence and excellence.
“In the pursuit of excellence and distinction, I would like you to always remember that the values of integrity and honesty must be foremost in everything that you do,” the CJ has advised.
As she does in all petitions, Justice George cautioned the new lawyer to be mindful of her conduct at the Bar: to always be respectful to clients, the court, and her colleagues. While encouraging her to maintain the path in which she intends to further her education, Justice George urged Bacchus to set aside time to “balance and rejuvenate”, in light of the tremendous amount of commitment, time, and effort the legal career demands.
The CJ told Bacchus that she expects her to be a leader at the Bar, and to assist the Bench with “thinking outside of the box”, as both sides work to develop the country’s jurisprudence.
In her first address to the court, an emotional Bacchus recalled that she has always had two “distinct dreams”: one of becoming an Attorney-at-Law, and the other of working with an organisation in which she can play a tangible part in the development of society.
According to the newly admitted counsel, she had never seen herself being the traditional lawyer “coming to court and defending clients”; but, at the age of 20, having gained invaluable experience while working with the Manickchands, her perspective changed. It not only allowed her to see the realities of the court process, but the impact the work at the Bar has had on individuals who come to the court seeking justice.
In the end, Bacchus thanked the multitude of persons who supported her throughout her legal studies, and especially remembered her late father, who according to her, encouraged her, and “so proudly boasted of her and her endeavours.”