Legal Affairs

The legal system of The Bahamas is known for its stability. It is based on British common law complemented by an American type of constitutionalism along with a range of Bahamian Statute Laws.

The judicial system consists of a Court of Appeal, Supreme Courts in New Providence Island and Grand Bahama Island, and a number of Magistrates’ Courts (courts of first instance) as well as an Industrial Tribunal. The Supreme Court has general, civil, and criminal jurisdiction and hears civil matters throughout the year.

“We want to make sure we are dealing with facts, not just anecdotal evidence.”

Michael Barnett, a prominent local attorney, was recently sworn in as The Bahamas’ Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, and it is his responsibility to ensure that the Bahamian legal system is transparent and fair.

Commenting recently on his appointment of Barnett, Prime Minister Ingraham said, “Michael Barnett is best known in our community as a partner at the prestigious law firm of Graham Thompson and Co. We are very happy to welcome him as a colleague in the Upper Chamber of Parliament and in the Cabinet.”

Barnett has served in many important posts, including as Chairman of the Water and Sewerage Corporation. He has also been an Acting Magistrate, Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, President of the Bahamas Bar Association, Chairman of the Industrial Relations Board, a member of the Financial Services Advisory Committee, among others. Educated in Nassau and at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, Barnett also studied at Lincoln’s Inn Law School in London.

One of Barnett’s first projects in his new post was to order an audit into a backlog of cases that is clogging the country’s legal system. He says, “I want to have a clear understanding as to the scope of the backlog to make sure we are dealing with facts, not just anecdotal evidence.”

President of Bar Association

“In The Bahamas we service the whole world”

With 900 members, the Bahamas Bar Association is responsible for upholding discipline and ethics in the legal profession. Its President, Wayne Munroe, is from the law firm Lockhart & Munroe.

“We like to think of ourselves in The Bahamas as one of the oldest democracies in the Caribbean,” he says. “We provide high quality service, and a court system that is streamlined and available for everyone. Professionalism is what we seek to offer through every sector from banking and legal, to investment, tourism and so on.”

He explains that the legal system in The Bahamas is still modeled on that of the British. Proud of this continuity, Bahamians are not interested in adopting the Caribbean judicial system: “Our trial court is the Supreme Court, our next level is the Court of Appeals and our ultimate appellate court is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.”

In The Bahamas, says Munroe, investors can find the same international standards that apply to the major countries in the developed world, and that will not change. The only significant difference, he believes, is in scale and size.

The Bahamas also has a great advantage in its strong track record of serving investors, built up over many years. “Money never goes away,” according to Munroe. “In The Bahamas we service the whole world. We are open for business – we are serious about doing good business in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, the Caribbean and anywhere in the world. We are a jurisdiction that exists to serve and we do it well and have for many years.”

He adds that The Bahamas is stable, and will continue to be stable, regardless of economic downturns in the United States or elsewhere in the world.

Dupuch & Turnquest & Co.

“We focus on professionalism and client service.”

Caryl A.E. Lashley, Senior Partner

Founded in 1948, Dupuch & Turnquest & Co. has an enviable pedigree. Its co-founding partner, Sir Orville Turnquest, GCMG, Q.C., is a previous Deputy Prime Minister, Attorney General, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Governor-General of The Bahamas.

Already established in litigation, the firm is now equally well known for its commercial practice. The Freeport Office, headed by Senior Partner Terence Gape, has been pleased to represent the Southern Company of Atlanta in their major purchase of the Electric Utility in Grand Bahama, and The Dart Corporation in establishment of its Polystyrene facility in Grand Bahama. We have recently represented Group Vivendi in a major investment in the Port Area.

The Freeport Office is presently representing the Ginn Company in the establishment of a 2000 Acre waterfront and golf course residential and condo-hotel resort on Grand Bahama (Ginn Sur Mer).

Senior Partner Caryl A.E. Lashley – who joined the practice in 1979 – has worked with clients in Florida, New York, California and Massachusetts. She enjoys the family-style relationship that she, her partners and staff share with their clients. She explains: “By staying relatively small it allows for my entire organization to be knowledgeable about all the happenings within the firm pertaining to future clients, ongoing cases and judgments.”

Among the many advantages of working with a local firm, Dupuch & Turnquest & Co. can offer a customized service which reduces costs and time involvement for clients. Dupuch & Turnquest & Co. offers a full range of legal services from a well-rounded team, and is particularly respected for its expertise in company incorporation, corporate law and conveyancing.

Lashley points out that many long-term clients have established lasting relationships with the firm and are considered friends. She adds: “First and foremost, Dupuch & Turnquest & Co. focuses on professionalism and client services.”

As a firm representing the best of The Bahamas, Dupuch & Turnquest & Co. is also committed to developing the nation’s future. Lashley is heavily involved in corporate social responsibility projects, as the Director of the AIDS Foundation of The Bahamas, and as the Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Bahamas Bar Association.