Guyanese receives top honours at Hugh Wooding Law School
Monday, October 29, 2018 - 16:09By Feona Morrison
Attorney-at-law Ashley Henry, a 23-year-old Guyanese student was bestowed with several awards, including best performance from a Guyanese student, when the Hugh Wooding Law School held its graduation ceremony this year.
Among the coveted prizes she received are The Book Specialist Prize for the Second Outstanding Year II Student; Association of Law Officers of Trinidad and Tobago for Outstanding Performance in Ethics, Rights and Obligation of the Legal Profession; The Justice Sandra Paul Alternative Dispute Resolution Prize for the Student who Mastered the Concepts and Techniques of the ADR Process – shared with Attorney-at-law Kezia Campbell, and the Cameron and Shepherd Prize for Best Performance in Civil Procedure and Practice 1 and Civil Procedure and Practice 2 by a Guyanese student.
Attorney-at-Law Ashley Henry
She also made it onto the Principal’s Honour Roll. Henry, who was born and raised in Georgetown, is still trying to soak in her outstanding accomplishment, even as, she moves forward in her academics.
Henry, who is now employed with the Hughes Fields and Stoby Law Firm, began considering career options when she was just 11. She said that it was while in Grade 11 (Fifth Form), “I decided that I needed to choose a career. I am a very argumentative person and thought about doing law. I made a definite decision in fifth form. Law is a very diverse area of practice and you can use it as a base to pursue other careers.’’
She pursued Sixth Form studies in Law, Sociology, Management of Business and History at the St. Rose’s High School. She was successful, and after receiving her Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results, she applied for entry into the University of Guyana (UG), and was accepted to pursue the three year Law degree.
“After receiving my results, I applied to UG, and was accepted. I was a full-time student. I had to adjust myself to the university lifestyle. The classrooms were different, I now had lecturers. The only thing that affected me was when my father died during my second year.’’
But that tragic loss motivated her to complete the programme successfully. Of course, she had the support of her mother and other relatives and friends. She was among the top 25 students who gained automatic entry into the Hugh Wooding Law School. She was also among the three outstanding graduates for UG’s Law Department.
MOVING TO TRINIDAD
“I was basically on my own. I do not really have family in Trinidad and Tobago. My mother flew with me to Trinidad where she stayed for about two weeks just to ensure that I was comfortable and had everything.
“I had to learn the place. The 25 of us were in the same class, and I think that was when persons realized that we needed each other. And because of the crime situation in Trinidad, it was always advisable that you go out with company,’’ Henry recalled.
She said that she and her schoolmates took the same approach with their schoolwork, because in the end, they all wanted to be successful. Henry disclosed that lots of sacrifices were made in terms of tuition fees, and boarding, “so we could not afford to fail.’’
She further said that the class of Guyanese students quickly evolved into a support group, and that, she said was the closest thing she had to a family. The newest bar member added, “Luckily for me and my colleagues, we met some nice Trinidadians who would look over us. The workload at (Hugh Wooding Law School) was much greater than at UG. You had assignments coming in like every week.”
Henry said that she found out about her achievement the night before graduation at rehearsals. She expressed that she was honestly surprised since she did not expect to cop so many prizes.
LOOKING AHEAD
For now, she is involved in general practice, which is doing everything from oil and gas, civil and estate law. “Right now, I do not want to limit myself without knowing what the other areas have to offer. So far, it has been a learning experience. It can get a bit hectic at times. You have to meet a lot of deadlines and I am now dealing with real clients,” she pointed out.
Henry aims to acquire a Master’s degree within the next five years as she says that law always has new areas to explore. On the other hand, she believes that the establishment of a law school here will relieve Guyanese students of the burden of having to move to Trinidad.
The newest bar member also believes that with a law school here, the tuition fees might not be as high as those at the Hugh Wooding Law School. Nevertheless, she said that the government has been giving financial assistance to law students, something that they are grateful for, and hope will increase.
Her advice to budding law students is “Once you set your mind on something, with hard work, you will achieve it.” Henry revealed that time management is an essential part of attending law school. She advises that one has to balance school work with extra curriculum activities, a lot of which are available at the law school.
Henry was admitted to practice about two weeks ago after her petition was presented by prominent Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes, before Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George at the High Court in Georgetown.