50 years at the Bar
Published: Sunday | December 6, 2009
Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
Howard Hamilton, QC, shows his friend from Cayman, A. Steve McField, and his wife, Irina, one of the many newspaper clippings mounted in a collage as he celebrated 50 years at the Bar with friends and colleagues at the Terra Nova Hotel on Tuesday, November 24, 2009.
Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
HOWARD HAMILTON, QC, who has been described as one of Jamaica's eminent lawyers, celebrated his 50th year at the Bar on November 24 at a function at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, St Andrew.
Hamilton's sister, Heather Davidson, described him as a wonderful son, brother and friend. She said he had a great determination to do whatever he wanted.
Dr M. O. Hamilton, his brother, commended him on the milestone he had reached in his profession.Retired Director of Public Prosecutions, Kent Pantry, QC, recounted the many ferocious battles they had in the courtroom. He said despite the battles, they remained great friends.
Public Defender Earl Witter, QC, said Hamilton's contribution to the legal system clearly showed hat justice can be done in this region. He said Hamilton's advocacy was awesomely exemplified in his mitigation speeches. Witter said he acknowledged the exemplary way in which Hamilton regarded the holy institution of marriage.
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Grenada, Bernard Coard, and his Jamaican wife, Phyllis, were on hand to congratulate Hamilton, one of the Jamaican lawyers who had defended them. They were charged, along with other Grenadians, with the murder of Grenada's Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and some members of his Cabinet in 1983. Bernard Coard said they owed a great debt of gratitude to Hamilton and the Jamaican team.
Attorney-at-law Debra Martin spoke of the love Hamilton had for his family and colleagues and his great concern for his clients.
A giant of a lawyer by reputation is how attorney-at-law David Batts described Hamilton, adding that he was also a gentle, amiable and amusing person.
Great lawyer
Attorney-at-law Crafton Miller described him as a great lawyer.
Veteran journalist Sybil Hibbert said Hamilton was the epitome of what a lawyer should be and what justice should be to the ordinary man. She recounted the days when Ian Ramsay (now deceased), Hamilton and Patrick Atkinson practised as a team in the courts and how spectators flocked the courts to hear them. She said as the trio walked the corridors, there were always loud cheers from the spectators.
Attorneys-at-law Steve McField and Marseta Facey Clarke from The Cayman Islands commended Hamilton for his assistance and contribution to the legal system in their country. They said they had appeared with Hamilton in several cases and were grateful for what he had taught them. McField said Hamilton was truly a great man who remained ever humble.
Retired Court of Appeal Judge Clarence Walker, who was master of ceremonies, spoke of the times when Hamilton appeared before him in court. He said Hamilton was a quintessential beggar when it came to making mitigation pleas for his clients, and could convince a judge to give very lenient sentences.
IT WAS an injustice that Howard Hamilton, QC, witnessed when he was eight years old that gave him the burning desire to become a lawyer.
His dream came true on November 24, 1959, when he was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn, England.
A large gathering, including family members, colleagues and friends, celebrated Hamilton's 50th year at the Bar in a heart-warming ceremony at Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel on November 24.
Hamilton, who was a former public defender, says he remem-bers the incident which steered his career path as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.
"I was living with my aunt at the time, and she was reversing her car when it crashed into a concrete column. I and the helper's son were playing outside in the vicinity where she crashed. She came out of her car and remonstrated with the helper's son, blaming him.
"I could not understand how she blamed him and never said anything to me. He was no more or less responsible for the accident than I was, but all the blame went to him and I felt it was unfair. I said then that if I were a lawyer, I would have to defend him. I remember the incident like it happened yesterday, because it was my aunt's fault that the collision took place."
Eye on law
He said from then on he knew what he wanted to be, and so when he entered Jamaica College, he studied all the subjects that could get him into law school.
On graduating from Jamaica College in December 1954, he enrolled at Linclon's Inn in January 1955 and began studying to become a lawyer. He said his mentors were Dudley Thompson, QC, who lectured him in criminal law, and Emil George, QC, who lectured him in contracts.
He went to England in 1957, and after completing his studies, he returned home in 1959. On the advice of Dudley Thompson, he joined the government service and remained there for two years. He next worked in Dudley Thompson's chambers for two years and then joined the chambers of Ian Ramsay where he remained for 20 years before going on his own.
Hamilton, who was lauded at the function as an excellent father, a great friend, a very helpful and eminent lawyer, as well as an advocate who has a passion for law, has recorded courtroom victories in every parish in Jamaica, as well as in The Bahamas, Bermuda, The Cayman Islands, Grenada, St Kitts, The Turks and Caicos Islands and the United Kingdom Privy Council.
- B. G.
