Governor Boyd McCleary has appointed three Virgin Islands-based lawyers to the rank of Queen’s Counsel, a distinction reserved for experienced attorneys.
The appointments of the three men — John Carrington, Paul Dennis and Michael Fay — became effective Monday, according to a press release from Government Information Services.
Mr. McCleary made the appointments acting on the advice of Janice Pereira, the chief justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, according to GIS.
All three men have several decades of legal experience.
The QC designation was first given out at the end of the 17th Century to “advocates whose rank, seniority and legal acumen made them a valuable resource for Her Majesty’s counsel,” according to the QC “appointment protocol” posted on the ECSC’s website.
Lawyers must apply for the honour, and a few are selected every two years, based largely on the recommendations of the Silk Advisory Committee, a five-member panel of experienced judges and lawyers.
QCs, unlike other barristers and solicitors, are allowed to wear silk robes and can sit on the first of two benches in the courtroom.
See the March 21, 2013 edition for full coverage.
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