At the Annual General Meeting of The Bar Association of Guyana held on the 31st May, 2022, Ms. Pauline Chase was re-elected, unopposed, as the President of the Association for the fiscal year 2022-2023.
This is the second term for which Ms. Chase will serve as President of the Association. She is the fourth woman to serve as President of the Association in its forty-two-year history. Her father Mr. Ashton Chase, OE, SC served as a distinguished past President of the Association on multiple occasions.
Ms. Chase has been in practice for over twenty years at the Chambers of Ashton Chase Associates where she specializes in civil law matters including Corporate and Constitutional Law.
During her last term as President, the Association held its Inaugural Law Week between the period of 3rd – 9th April, 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, Organization 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.
Ms. Chase previously served as Secretary of the Association from 2017 up until 2021 when she assumed the Presidency.
Former President, Mr. Teni Housty, together with Ms. Jamela A. Ali, SC, were elected, unopposed, as Vice Presidents while Mr. Keoma D. Griffith was also elected unopposed as Secretary of the Association for a second term.
Ms. Ashley King was elected to serve a second term as Assistant Secretary, while Ms. Yashmini Singh will now replace Mr. Naresh Poonai as Treasurer. Mr. Poonai served the Association for two consecutive terms as Treasurer and was unavailable for re-election in the current Council.
The Returning Officer, Mr. Ron Motilall, also declared the following persons duly elected as Council Members, filling the remaining six (6) offices on the Bar Council, the executive body of the association:
· Mr. Robin Stoby, SC
• Mr. K.A. Juman Yassin, SC.
· Mr. Kamal Ramkarran
• Ms. Onassis Granville
· Mr. Horatio Edmonson
• Mr. Donavon Rangiah
