Former Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe remembered as erudite jurist

Former Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe, OJ, died yesterday at age 85.

He served as Chief Justice from 1996 to 2007 and was often described by his colleagues as a hardworking and eminent jurist.

He was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1967.

Wolfe was a graduate of St Jago High School in St Catherine and served as chairman of the school board for several years.

He was a devout Anglican and also served as Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese.

Retired Court of Appeal Judge Clarence Walker, who was his close friend, described Wolfe as one of the most hardworking, erudite judges ever produced by Jamaica.

He said they joined the court system as teenagers and worked together in the Corporate Area Parish Court from where they both left in the 1960s to study law in London.

“His judgments were always sound and well-reasoned. In my tenure as a judge of the Court of Appeal and within my knowledge no judgment of his as Chief Justice was ever reversed.”

Walker also praised Wolfe for his work ethic.

“He exercised a hands-on approach to his work, which he never shirked. He was a no nonsense judge and always was keen to see that justice was done in every case which came before him. He was always anxious to satisfy the constitutional requirement that justice should be administered within a reasonable time to all persons who came before the court.

“He was the consummate disciplinarian at all times. In his passing, Jamaica has suffered an irreparable loss. I extend my sincere condolences to his family.”

Wolfe is survived by his wife Audrey, three daughters including Supreme Court Judge Simone Wolfe-Reece, and several grandchildren.

- Barbara Gayle

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.