I am honoured to be President of the Anguilla Bar Association (“ABA”) at this pivotal time with the ABA (which was formed 30 years ago) being recently transformed by the Legal Profession Act (“LPA”) from an informal voluntary body to a corporate one. A statutory body mandated by the House of Assembly will undoubtedly go a long way in protecting the public interest.

The ABA will continue to serve as the voice of the legal profession in Anguilla; foster high standards of ethical conduct and professional growth for our members; support and protect the administration of justice; promote understanding of the rule of law; and speak for the voices often not heard within our Community. This is not a new role. It is one which has hitherto been played by the ABA since its establishment on the 24 th March, 1987.

With the wider community in mind, we embrace the LPA which now provides a comprehensive statutory framework whereby complaints can be made to and investigated by a Disciplinary Tribunal. Whilst the practice of law is a noble pursuit and the vast majority of our members have good judgment, sound ethics and strive to do the right thing; we recognise that on occasion members of the public may not be satisfied with the services they received from their attorney. These procedures allow for complaints against our members which are without merit to be disposed of expeditiously and for serious ones to be investigated by a process that is fair and that produces acceptable results within a reasonable time. This is a significant milestone.

Over the next 12 months, I look forward to working with the Bar Council and our members to improve access to justice; promote the quality and excellence available at the bar; and to continue to build public understanding of the importance of the rule of law. I hope that you will find this website to be helpful and look forward to receiving any feedback that you feel would assist the improvement of the services and roles the ABA performs.