Pauline Chase re-elected GBA President for 2nd term

The Guyana Bar Association (GBA) has re-elected Pauline Chase for a second time to serve as its President for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

Chase was re-elected unopposed at the GBA’s Annual General Meeting on Tuesday.
She is the fourth woman to serve as President of the Association in its 42-year history. Her father, Ashton Chase, OE, SC served as a distinguished Past President of the Association on multiple occasions.
Chase has been in practice for more than 20 years at the Chambers of Ashton Chase Associates, where she specialises in civil law matters, including corporate and constitutional law.
During her last term as President over the past year, the Association held its Inaugural Law Week April 3-9, 2022 under the theme “Advancing the Rule of Law in the New Normal”.
The week of activities represented collaborations with the Caribbean Court of Justice; local Bench and Bar; Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA), UK Bar Council inter alia, all geared towards capacity building for members and advancing the rule of law in Guyana.
At the launch of the Law Week, Chase had sounded calls for the confirmation of the Chancellor and Chief Justice posts as well as the reconstitution of the Judicial Service Commission. She said the lack of these appointments were “inimical” to the rule of law.
The GBA President had also called for a change in the formula to appoint those two top judicial officers as well as for the end to the assize sessions and for a permanent court to be set up instead.
Chase previously served as Secretary of the Association from 2017 up until 2021 when she assumed the presidency.
The Association also re-elected former President Teni Housty and Jamela A Ali, SC, as Vice Presidents. They were elected for a second term unopposed.
Keoma D Griffith was elected unopposed as Secretary of the Association for a second term as well.
Meanwhile, Ashley King was re-elected to serve as Assistant Secretary for the next year. Yashmini Singh will serve as Treasurer, replacing Naresh Poonai, who after two consecutive terms in the post, was unavailable for re-election to the current Council.
The Returning Officer, Ron Motilall, also declared six persons duly elected as Council Members, filling the remaining offices on the Bar Council, the executive body of the Association – Robin Stoby, SC; KA Juman Yassin, SC; Kamal Ramkarran; Onassis Granville; Horatio Edmonson, and Donavon Rangiah.