“I can use my knowledge to serve my community” – new lawyer

…to practice in Lethem

Rennata A. Nickram left Lethem after Grade Six with a Hinterland Scholarship and a future still waiting to be written. Years later, she has returned not simply as a daughter of the community, but as a qualified attorney, admitted to the Bar of Guyana on Friday, ready to put her legal training to work on the ground she once called home. She plans to eventually return to her hometown and open her own law practice. Nickram, who is the first lawyer in her family, was admitted before Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln at the Supreme Court of Judicature. During her secondary school years, she lived with a guardian in Lamaha Gardens and returned to Lethem for the Christmas, Easter and August holidays.

She passed all 12 subjects she sat at the 2020 CSEC examinations. She then completed a year of International Relations at the University of Guyana (UG) before entering the Bachelor of Laws programme in 2021 and earning her LLB in 2024. At the Eugene Dupuch Law School, she earned her Legal Education Certificate this year. She also received the Colin E. Callender Q.C. Memorial Prize for Best Performing Student in the Commercial and Financial Services Law Clinic. The prize recognised her work in the clinic and in the STEP Bahamas Moot Competition, which her team won under the coaching of McKinney, Bancroft & Hughes. It was her first time participating in a moot competition. Her petition was presented by Attorney-at-Law Sase Gunraj of Gunraj & Co. According to Nickram, returning home to Lethem is important to her because she does not want her professional journey to disconnect her from her roots. She said the knowledge she has attained can be taken directly back to the soil from which she grew.
“I hope that, as I grow within the profession, I can use my knowledge and experience to serve others and contribute to greater access to legal services within my community.” Nickram topped Region Nine at the 2015 National Grade Six Assessment, earning a place at The Bishops’ High School in Georgetown and a Hinterland Scholarship.

“It meant adjusting to a completely different environment and being away from my family and the support system I had always known,” she said.
Nickram said growing up in Lethem made her aware of how important access to professional services is for hinterland communities and that shaped her decision to study law. “I was drawn to a profession that would challenge me intellectually while also giving me the opportunity to assist people, advocate for their interests and contribute positively to my community,” she said. In a statement ahead of the ceremony, her parents, Rubeina Khan-Nickram and Kenrick Nickram, said they were grateful to see her reach the milestone. “Congratulations to our daughter Rennata on her admission to practice law in Guyana,” they said. “We give thanks to Almighty God for His grace, strength and favour throughout her journey to earn her LLB, LEC and now to take the oath as an Attorney-at-Law.
“May she serve her clients and her country with wisdom, honesty and excellence.”
Nickram also had a message for young people in Region Nine. “I would tell them to work hard, stay focused and make the most of every opportunity that comes their way. Don’t let where you come from limit what you believe you can achieve,” she said.