Following a vigorous campaign, Kahlil D. Parker has been elected president of The Bahamas Bar Association at the association’s Annual General Meeting held on Friday, June 30, 2017.

J. Denise Lewis-Johnson has been elected vice president. The other elected officers are: Joan Dilworth (honorary secretary) and Khrystle Rutherford-Ferguson (honorary treasurer). Ian-Marie Darville, Jacy Whittaker, and Kelli Ingraham were each elected council members for a one year term.

Jeanine Weech-Gomez and Wayne Munroe, QC, continue to serve as three-year council members.

The Bar Council is pleased to have Whittaker as its representative in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Mr. Whittaker’s election will realize a more hands-on and intimate presence of the Bar Council in Grand Bahama.

High on the agenda for the newly elected Bar Council will be securing the passage of necessary amendments to the Legal Profession Act to facilitate the increasing and varied work of the association in order to serve the needs of the evolving modern and diverse practice of law in The Bahamas, and more strictly and timeously regulate the practice in the interest of the Bar and the public.

Also on the agenda is enhancement of the role of the association in advocacy for and on behalf of both senior and junior members in private practice and at the employed Bar, to ensure the ability of members of the Bar to take full advantage of the growing international call for more diverse Bahamian legal expertise.

The agenda also plans to develop the association into a resource hub for members and the general public, and to take the lead on the issues which impact and would add value to their professional and personal lives.

Mr. Parker is pleased that the new Bar Council is reflective of the burgeoning presence and influence of younger members of the profession.

However, he will seek to secure greater participation of senior members in the executive, professional and social endeavours of The Bahamas Bar Association.