Thanks to the kind support of the Portfolio for Legal Affairs, three LL.B students at the Truman Bodden Law School, third year student Dena’e Alexander (centre right) and second year students Jenna Alpulche (right) and Curtis Bale (centre left), accompanied by Alexis Mavrikakis (left), Senior Lecturer, were able to attend the American Caribbean Law Initiative‘s 2024 Caribbean Law Clinic hosted by the Eugene Dupuch Law School in Nassau, The Bahamas.

Dena’e, Jenna and Curtis worked together with students from Florida International University, Stetson University (Florida), Norman Manley (Jamaica), Hugh Wooding (Trinidad and Tobago) and Eugene Dupuch (The Bahamas) Law Schools, to prepare arguments on complex legal questions of international and Bahamian law on unlawful migration, pollution of the marine environment and marital rape, which they then presented to a high-ranking panel from the Bahamian legal world, including a King’s Counsel, a UN rapporteur and the managing partner of the oldest law firm in The Bahamas.

All three students were commended for the clarity and high quality of their submissions and for their ability to deal with the challenging questioning that they faced from the panel. Dena’e said that, “this experience has been invaluable, allowing us to address significant real-world issues while enhancing our advocacy skills throughout the process”. Jenna added that she found it “an incredible opportunity to practise our advocacy skills and rewarding to meet some of the lawyers who are helping to shape the future of human rights in the Caribbean.”

The American Caribbean Law Initiative’s mission is to advance the common interest of its members, including TBLS, in the growth and development of the Caribbean basin by facilitating collaborative relationships and by strengthening its legal development and institutions.