Judge Cheryl Mathurin
Head of Caribbean Juris Chambers in Anguilla, Mr. John Benjamin, QC (now Acting Judge in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court for the third time), was honoured at a Special Sitting of the Anguilla Circuit on Thursday, April 12,having been elevated to the rank of a Queen’s Counsel in February this year.
Those on the Bench for the occasion were Justice Don Mitchell of the Appeals Court; Justice Cheryl Mathurin; and Justice Birnie Stephenson who chaired the proceedings.
The sitting began with the reading of the Letters Patent by the Registrar of the High Court, Ms. Vernette Richardson.The Letters, dated February 1, were issued by Her Majesty The Queen and presented to Mr. Benjamin by the Governor in Anguilla, Alistair Harrison. The recommendation for his appointment was made by former Chief Justice, Hugh Rawlins, on the advice of the Silk Advisory Committee.
The presentations for the Move of Mr. Benjamin to the Inner Bar were done by three persons. One was his former fellow law school student, Dancia Penn, QC, of the British Virgin Islands who said he was eminently qualified and a fit and proper person to be appointed as Queen’s Counsel. The second wasCharles L. A. Wilkin, CMG, QC, of St. Kitts, who was represented by J. Emile Ferdinand, QC, also of St. Kitts; and the third was Kenneth Allen, OBE, QC, of Montserrat. The three Supporters who spoke were Mr. Ferdinand on his own behalf,Dr. Henry Browne, QC, and Theodore Hobson, QC, both of Nevis. Another speaker was Mr. Henry Dyer, a former Attorney General of Dominica.
Following the changing of gowns, Mr. Benjamin was invited by Justice Stephenson to take his seat at the Inner Bar among the other Queen’s Counsels.
Words of commendation to Mr. Benjamin were expressed by Ms. Yvette Wallace, President of the Anguilla Bar Association; Mrs. Joyce Kentish-Egan; Mr.Keithley Lake on behalf of Mr. Mark Brantley and himself; Ms. Tara Ruan of Caribbean Juris Chambers; and Mrs. Josephine Gumbs Connor.
Mr. Benjamin reflected on his early life when, as a student, he had to decide whether to become a priest or a lawyer and on how he eventually studied law. He was grateful for the support of his family and the North Side community, from among whom he emerged; those who assisted him in his professional development; his colleagues at the Bar and Bench and his staff at Benjamine Group of Companies.
Justice Mathurin joined Mrs. Penn in outlining the method of selection and appointment of a QC. In so doing, she was pleased to see a full turnout of attorneys and a large audience atMr. Benjamin’s celebration, and conveyed to them “the import and majesty of the position of Queen Counsel.”The three Justices offered their congratulations to Mr. Benjamin on his appointment.
Mr. Benjamin attended Selly Oak Colleges in England and Birmingham University from 1969-1971; Warwick University from where he earned his LL.B Hons degree in 1977; the University of London, Law of Trusts, in 1978; and Norman Manley Law School, UWI,from where he obtained the Legal Education Certificate (LEC) in 1981.
His career included Crown Counsel, St. Kitts-Nevis 1981-1983; Acting Magistrate, Anguilla 1983-1995; Acting Magistrate, St. Kitts-Nevis; Additional Magistrate, Anguilla 2007 – present; Commissioner of Oaths, 1984; Notary Public, 1986; and President of the Anguilla Bar Association 1986-1990 and 2002. He was appointed Acting High Court Judge for Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis from 2012-2013 and Queen’s Counsel in February 2013. He achieved much regional and international recognition for his landmark Talk Your Mind case which was upheld by the Privy Council in1999 and which became a benchmark for other cases of freedom of expression in the region.
Mr. Benjamin is the founder and Head of Caribbean Juris Chambers as well as the Managing Director/CEO of Benjamine Company Services Limited and Cube Credit Services Limited.
He left Anguilla on Monday this week for Nevis on another appointment as Acting Judge, for a month, to clear up a backlog of cases in that Circuit of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
