Tifaine Rutherford, a former reporter at the Stabroek News, yesterday traded her pen, recorder, and notepads for a robe and sombre-coloured suits with her admission to the Guyana Bar as one of its newest attorneys-at-law.
Rutherford said that it was her time as a reporter covering court, which convinced her to leave reporting behind to pursue a career as an attorney-at-law.
Rutherford’s petition was presented by attorney Latchmie Rahamat before Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George.
As Rutherford spoke, she visibly struggled to hold back tears, taking several deep breaths, and pausing often during her address to the court, to steady herself. Rutherford’s father, Audwin Rutherford, Member of Parliament (MP) was also visibly moved.
In a courtroom filled with family, friends, and colleagues, Rutherford revisited the hardships she faced during her five years of legal studies, the most difficult being her pregnancy at the beginning of her second year at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS).
Rutherford explained that she initially considered taking a year off from law school but ultimately decided to continue on. Her pregnancy meant that she could not sit the usual May exams with the rest of her colleagues and classmates as she was initially told that she was due to deliver in the middle of the first week of exams. When she returned home, however, she was told that she was hypertensive, which created many risks for her and her unborn child.
Fortunately, both Rutherford and her baby emerged from child-birth safely. Unfortunately, yet another challenge awaited. Having missed exams in May, Rutherford, after some hiccups, was cleared to sit exams in August, but found it near impossible to both study, and care for, including nurse, a month-old baby.
Notwithstanding this hurdle, however, Rutherford persisted, and ultimately passed all her exams comfortably. Rutherford’s baby girl was in the courtroom to share the special moment with her mother, although it seemed as though she was not particularly impressed by, or interested in the proceedings.
Justice George, in accepting Rutherford’s petition, said her acceptance was conditional on Rutherford’s commitment to a sustained pursuit of scholarship, and to remaining a student of the law. Justice George also charged Rutherford to embody modesty, integrity and courtesy.
Justice George told Rutherford, who also holds a degree in sociology, that she has an excellent background for the study of law, and encouraged her to build on that background.
She also commended Rutherford, who served as Chairwoman of the Guyanese Students Committee (GSC) at the HWLS, for actively participating in school activities with commitment, as opposed to merely “passing through the portals”, as some students do. Justice George said that Rutherford’s decision to be involved was highly commendable, and urged her to join, and participate in the local bar association, and other associations in society.
Noting that Rutherford obtained a certificate in mediation advocacy while at the HWLS, Justice George said that while some lawyers are still hesitant to change, Rutherford’s decision to be trained in this way makes her part of a new generation of lawyers who have been trained differently.
Justice George also seized the opportunity to explain to Rutherford’s family that the profession into which she has entered in very demanding, and that though her journey up to this point was tough, it will only get tougher.
Finally, and as she does in all the petitions she hears, Justice George cautioned Rutherford to be mindful of her conduct at the Bar, always being respectful to client, and court. She challenged Rutherford to always let a good reputation precede her.
Justice George recalled a recent case in which a senior attorney-at-law failed to appear to represent his clients, in which case she proceeded with the matter in his absence. The Chief Justice (ag) said that after determining the matter, she told the attorney-at-law’s clients that he is disrespectful to the court.
Rutherford was told to ensure that she is always properly briefed and that her conduct is always beyond reproach.
Rutherford attended the Watooka Primary School before attending the Mackenzie High School. She went on to pursue A-Levels at the St. Stanislaus College, before reading for, and obtaining a degree in Sociology at the University of Guyana in 2010. Rutherford then worked for some time, and returned to UG to read for her LL.B which she obtained in 2017. She then commenced studies at the HWLS in the same year, graduating last Saturday.
