Top law student returns home to practice
In five years of studies at the University of the West Indies, twenty-three year old Ashanti Arthurs accumulated more prizes than most lawyers amass in a lifetime. Now she’s back in Belize, poised to begin a legal career. News 5’s Jacqueline Woods caught up with Arthurs at her desk at a local law firm.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Twenty-three year old Ashanti Arthurs says it was out of a deep concern for her neighbourhood that inspired her to study law.
Ashanti Arthurs, Associate, Shoman/Chebat Law Firm
?I would say that from when I was very little, I wanted to be an attorney but for me the turning point was about 1990, I grew up in the Lake Independence Area and at that time our community had a lot of violence because they had the gang uprising at that time and when I saw what crime did to my community, at that point I decided that I really wanted to be an attorney. ?
On October second, Arthurs graduated with top honours from the Norman Manley Law School. Today, she is in the process of applying to the bar. Arthurs is looking forward to start doing what she loves best.
Ashanti Arthurs
?At this point in my career, I am open minded. I am going to practise everything that comes my way. In the future, I think that I would like to specialize in commercial law.?
Presently, Arthurs works as an associate at the Shoman and Chebat Law Firm. Once an attorney she is hoping that she will get the same respect as her more experienced colleagues in the field.
Ashanti Arthurs
?It is all about the matter of being prepared and you can have very senior attorney, but if the attorney is not prepared, then the attorney still cannot represent your matter the way that he should. So I would hope that people won?t discriminate against me because I am young and trust that I will put the interest into their matters and be prepared for court.?
Today there are a total of ninety attorneys in Belize but only sixty five are practising the profession.
Ashanti Arthurs
?In comparison to the rest of the Caribbean, I don?t think our market is saturated at all. I think we have room for more attorneys. The thing is that in the future what we may have to look at is people going out on their own instead of joining a firm. Most of the firms may become saturated in themselves but we have work out there and so people have to think about having their own firms and about probably going into other areas instead of practising as an attorney, you could be a lecturer of law or work with insurance companies or banks in themselves you know. So everybody won?t necessarily want to practise as an attorney but I don?t think our market is saturated as yet.?
Jacqueline Woods reporting for News 5.
As Arthurs gets ready to practice law in Belize, there are presently eleven Belizeans studying the profession at the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica.
