UG law professor earns major regional honour

Professor Justice (Ret’d) Courtney A. Abel, Professor of Law (Legal Practice) and Head of the Department of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Guyana, has earned a second major regional honour for his distinguished contribution to the legal profession, receiving the 2026 Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA) Award for Distinguished Service to the Legal Profession and the Judiciary.

The award was presented virtually during the OCCBA Retreat on Saturday,25th July, 2026, following his selection by the 16-member bar associations of the Commonwealth Caribbean and the Executive Council of OCCBA. It recognises his dedicated and significant contributions to the legal profession in the Commonwealth Caribbean, particularly his service to the Judiciary of Belize and his contributions to OCCBA and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Bar Association (OECS) Bars.

The OCCBA recognition follows the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Professor Abel by the Society of Caribbean Lawyers (SOCAL) earlier this year. Together these honours represent recognition from two important segments of the Caribbean legal community with which his professional journey has been closely connected. Professor Abel stated, “Receiving the OCCBA Award was deeply moving because it came from what I regard as my professional family: the organised Bars of the Commonwealth Caribbean.