After decades of efforts and negotiations, Guyana will finally have its own Law school which will provide the option to Guyanese Law students to complete their Council of Legal Certificate studies at home.
The new Council of Legal Education law school, which will be the fourth in the region, will be constructed on an 8-acre plot of land at the campus of the University of Guyana.
The National Assembly has already approved $100M to begin the construction of the facility.
At a sod-turning ceremony on Thursday, Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Liesel Weekes, described the occasion as a momentous one for Guyana, as it brings an end to decades of efforts to bring a law school here.
‘We had in 2024, when AG Nandlall brought it back to the Council’s attention, we immediately at the level of council formed a collaborative committee with members of the Republic of Guyana and members of the Council so that we could formalize a feasibility report that was required to establish whether or not this school will be viable and feasible and sustainable in the long-term and we came together and met on several occasion between September 2024 and September so that at the meeting of September 2025 we could submit a complete feasibility report which met the satisfaction, ticked all the boxes and satisfied the Council without a doubt that this school is going to be viable , it was going to be sustainable and it was long in coming and we are happy and we are truly happy to stand with you today and celebrate the culmination of 20 years of effort,” Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Liesel Weekes said.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Anil Nandlall said the law school will serve local law students well, eliminating most of the costs related to their travel and accommodation at the other regional law schools.
He said for years, Guyanese students had to compete for spaces at regional law schools which was frustrating. The new law school will also cater for students from the region.
“We were very careful in our negotiations not to ever create the impression that this is going to be an insular institution. It’s not a Guyanese institution. While it will be located in Guyana, it is a regional institution to serve the people of the region and to be administered by the regional council administering legal education,” Mr.Nandlall said.
The Attorney General described the sod turning ceremony as one of great historical and futuristic significance.
The Council of Legal Education currently operates three law schools across the Caribbean.
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