Attorney General sounds alarm over legal system shortages

Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams has raised concerns about a shortage of criminal defence attorneys and legislative drafters, warning that the shortfall is hampering the administration of justice and the government’s legislative agenda.

Addressing newly admitted attorneys-at-law during call-to-the-bar proceedings at the Supreme Court on Friday morning, Abrahams urged them to consider these areas of practice, saying the island’s legal system was facing mounting pressure from capacity constraints and a diminishing pool of specialised talent.

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He pointed to the persistent backlog of court cases, attributing many of the delays to an insufficient number of lawyers willing to take on criminal cases, handle Magistrates’ Court matters and represent litigants.