Margaret Price-Findlay confirmed to lead Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

Margaret Price-Findlay, a jurist from Trinidad and Tobago, has been confirmed as Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, making her the court's 14th head and the first Trinidad and Tobago woman to occupy the office.

Her appointment was made formal on Thursday at a ceremony staged at the court's headquarters in St Lucia. Price-Findlay had been carrying out the duties of chief justice in an acting role since May 2025.

Price-Findlay was born in Diego Martin, Trinidad, and was educated at Holy Name Convent. She later completed a bachelor of laws degree at the University of the West Indies.

She worked as an attorney in Trinidad and Tobago between 1987 and 1991 before moving to the British Virgin Islands, where her professional life developed further. In 1995, she opened Price Findlay & Co and also served as a magistrate in the territory's court system.

Her path to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court bench came in 2009, when the Judicial and Legal Services Commission of the Caribbean Community appointed her as a High Court judge. She was assigned to Grenada, where she was based and heard cases.

Speaking at Thursday's ceremony, Price-Findlay became emotional as she looked back on her career and thanked relatives, mentors and colleagues who had helped her along the way, including her late parents. "My father championed every cause I undertook and I know he would have been so proud today," she said.

Price-Findlay said the idea of eventually heading the regional court was never something she had expected. "If anyone had told me when I arrived in the BVI in January 1991 that I would stand before you as Chief Justice of this venerable institution and only the second woman to hold this office, I would have certainly not believed you," she said.

She also recalled being nervous when first invited to take on the position in an acting capacity. "I knew it was not an easy road and I was asked to follow in the footsteps of some of the finest legal minds that have graced this institution," she said.

Price-Findlay expressed gratitude to judges and court employees for assisting her during the acting period. "It has been a learning experience but I have had a staff that was truly the wind beneath my wings," she said. "There were days when you carried me because I felt overwhelmed."

She appealed for cooperation across the judiciary and court administration, saying the institution's future depended on shared effort. "We work for a venerable institution called the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and we must all roll up our sleeves and put in the hard work for us to succeed," she said. "Let's put our shoulders to the wheel and collectively achieve this goal."

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has jurisdiction serving six independent Caribbean states and three British Overseas Territories.