Females top law awards

Chantal Ononaiwu, who won more than 10 awards at Saturday's Norman Manley Law School graduation, left the island last night for the University of Cambridge, England, where she will pursue studies for a Master of Law Degree. - Winston Sill

FEMALE MEMBERS of the 2001 graduating class of the Norman Manley Law School collected the majority of the top awards at the institution's graduation ceremony on Saturday evening at the Assembly Hall, University of the West Indies (UWI).

A Jamaican graduate, 22-year-old Chantal Ononaiwu, towered over her peers physically and academically when she walked away with more than ten different awards, including the coveted Certificate of Merit and Council prizes, for being the most outstanding student over the two-year programme at the Norman Manley Law School.

She also won the Chairman's prize for being the final year student with the best performance in the aggregation of marks in Law of Evidence and Forensic Medicine, Remedies and Civil Procedure and Practice.

Ms. Ononaiwu, who received standing ovations as she received her awards, was also one of the first inductees to the Principal's Honour Roll for students who have achieved excellence and at least 6 'A' grades over the two-year programme. Other inductees are Willa Liburd of St. Kitts/Nevis; Paul Tai of Jamaica and Tricia-Gaye Watson also of Jamaica.

In her response on behalf of the graduates, Ms. Ononaiwu spoke of the new challenges in the legal profession as a result of revolutions in the practice of law in the 21st century. She said that while the main objective of the graduates remained that of finding gainful employment and excelling in the practice of law, she encouraged the graduating class to develop a social conscience and be mindful of the demands of the individual environments in which they will have to work.

"It is our duty to develop a constitutional and educational framework which will ensure the region's viability in a global environment," she said.

In his report to the Chairman, Principal of the Norman Manley Law School, Keith Sobion highlighted the goals and achievements of the school's staff but lamented the decline of the facilities available there and called upon the governments and the profession, to assist in the provision and upkeep of the school's facilities.

"Let me merely say this, that a school that was built to accommodate 80 students now accommodates twice that number. A Legal-Aid Clinic which threatens to collapse even at the mere rumour that a hurricane is heading towards Jamaica cannot be the ideal environment for the work we are required to do. Clinical Legal Education is now the hub around which law school teaching must revolve. In this regard, we remain sorely lacking," said Mr. Sobion.

"We therefore renew our appeal to the governments, the profession and the hundreds who have walked through these doors, to give a commitment to support the institution in its quest to provide the best," he added.

Guest speaker at the ceremony was Mr. Denys A. Barrow, a 1977 Norman Manley Law School graduate from Belize who spoke of the importance of lawyers adhering to the ideals of the legal profession such as honesty, integrity, courtesy, fairness and commitment.

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