Distinguished Jurist Lecture

These compact and attractive books celebrate the annual Distinguished Jurist lectures hosted by the Judicial Education Institute of Trinidad and Tobago (JEITT).

Each year the book is given a different colour and the wording on the front changes, as it is an excerpt from the speech given by the Distinguished Jurist.

Everything seen in yellow on the covers is gold foiled on the printed copies. These are beautiful and inventive keep-sake books that can be downloaded on TTJEI’s online bookstore.

2011: Creating a Regional Jurisprudence
Distinguished Jurist Lecture 2011 by Sir Shridath Ramphal, QC, OCC

On the 29th September, 2011, Sir Shridath Ramphal, Q.C., became the inaugural speaker at the Judicial Education Institute of Trinidad and Tobago's Distinguished Jurist Lecture Series. Addressing such issues as "A Shared Legal Heritage" and "A Caribbean Supreme Court," Sir Shridath explores various landmark cases and the overall historical process that led to the creation of a regional jurisprudence.

2012: The Role of the Court of Appeal in Developing and Preserving An Independent and Just Society
Second Distinguished Jurist Lecture 2012 by Mr. Justice Adrian Dudley Saunders

This lecture by the Honourable Justice Adrian Saunders, delivered on the 12th July 2012, examines the role of the courts of appeal in the Caribbean as the final indigenous court. The issue is explored with great clarity and probing insights, mixed with a measure of refreshing story and anecdote. It argues affirmatively and compellingly for the relevance, role and responsibility of courts of appeal in the development of their societies

2013: The Continuing Relevance of the Jury System in the English-Speaking Caribbean
Third Distinguished Jurist Lecture 2013 by Sir Marston Gibson, K.A.

In this third Distinguished Jurist Lecture delivered on the 11th July 2013, Sir Marston Gibson K.A., Chief Justice of Barbados, explores the issue of the relevance of the jury system to the contemporary needs of Caribbean society. Sir Marston gives a historical analysis of the development of the jury system, outlines its challenges and opportunities in the context of modern Caribbean society, and suggests a few alternatives.

2014: The Yin and Yang of the Commonwealth Constitutional Social Democracy: Change for Stability and Progress
Fourth Distinguished Jurist Lecture 2014 by Dr. Leighton Jackson

On the 10th July 2014, Dr. Leighton Jackson delivered the Judicial Education Institute of Trinidad and Tobago's fourth Distinguished Jurist Lecture. Dr. Jackson's lecture explored the application of the Chinese philosophical concept of the Yin and Yang in relation to the tension between stability and progress in the constitutions of the Commonwealth Caribbean. While he closely examines issues such as the post-colonial power model, the Caribbean education system, and present leadership styles, Dr. Jackson proposes a shift of perspective in Commonwealth Caribbean society's relationship to stability and progress as forces that must exist in harmony instead of opposition in order to be truly progressive.