Turks and Caicos Bar leaders meet Jamaica associations to deepen Caribbean legal ties

The Turks and Caicos Islands Bar Council is looking for ways to work more closely with Jamaica’s lawyers, aiming to build stronger Caribbean partnerships and lift standards across the regional profession.

During a visit to Jamaica, Council President Mark Fulford underlined that need for closer links among Caribbean legal communities when he paid a courtesy call on the leadership of the Jamaican Bar Association (JBA) and the Advocates Association of Jamaica (AAJ).

Fulford noted that Jamaica’s legal profession has long shaped Caribbean case law, courtroom advocacy, and how lawyers are trained.

“Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands share deep historical, professional, and personal ties, and there is real value in strengthening cooperation between our legal communities,” Fulford said.

“As president of the TCI Bar Council, I believe Caribbean Bar associations must continue to build relationships, share experiences, and support one another in strengthening the rule of law, professional standards, and opportunities for young lawyers,” he added.

He said Bar bodies across the region confront many of the same difficulties and should keep collaborating to defend professional standards and open more doors for new lawyers.

The courtesy call took place last week at the AC Hotel in St Andrew. Fulford sat with JBA President Tenneshia Watkins, Vice President Malike Kellier, and AAJ President Tamika Harris.

Talks centred on tighter professional links between Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands, covering Bar governance, continuing legal education, support for junior counsel, advocacy training, ethics, access to justice, and careful use of technology and artificial intelligence in legal work.

Watkins pointed out that the JBA’s structure is not the same as many other Caribbean Bars—disciplinary cases in Jamaica sit with the General Legal Council—yet that arrangement does not weaken the association’s drive for regional partnership.

Nonetheless, she said, “We remain ready to share our experience, support our colleagues, and work together to advance Continuing Legal Professional Development and strengthen the legal profession across the Caribbean.”

Harris likewise held that firmer regional alliances matter for the profession’s ongoing growth and restated the AAJ’s backing for Caribbean cooperation.

“The Caribbean is strongest when we work together. Meaningful partnerships allow us to learn from each other, share best practices, and grow together for the benefit of our profession and the people we serve,” Harris said.

The parties also weighed possible next steps, among them joint continuing professional development programmes, advocacy training, junior Bar involvement, and professional exchanges linking Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Fulford thanked Jamaica’s legal community for the welcome and said he expects further discussion and concrete cooperation between the two jurisdictions.