As a girl growing up, Deborah Barrow-Graham could argue a point very well whether at home or at debate competitions at the schools she attended. Family members would boast of her skill and enthuse that she would make a great lawyer someday. That day came on December 1, when Barrow-Graham, who graduated from Hugh Wooding Law School with honours, was admitted to the Bar.
“… I feel elated to have gotten this far in my journey,” the new attorney said.
Barrow-Graham was admitted by Chief Justice Roxane George and her petition was presented by attorney Nigel Hughes.
Barrow-Graham was the Best Graduating Guyanese student, which may not come as a surprise to some.
Throughout her years of studies, she secured outstanding performances. She is the holder of a history degree from the University of Guyana, which she earned with a distinction. She also secured with distinction her law degree, as well as a Master’s Degree in International Trade Policy from the University of the West Indies.
Though she had always been passionate about legal challenges, Barrow-Graham was initially not too keen on litigation and delayed her journey to law school by focusing on pursuing a post-graduate degree in a related field.
“I didn’t like the whole court scene… and having to attend court and represent someone. It was also in relation to the state of affairs and how matters were dealt with in Guyana and the long time it would take. I didn’t like what I was hearing. I didn’t like what I saw. So, I didn’t initially view it as a priority,” she explained.
Though she has her heart set on practicing law in international trade, the attorney has admitted to now considering taking up litigation sometime in the future. She said it was a conversation with the Chief Justice that led to her being more open to such matters.
The youngest of 12 children, Barrow-Graham considers herself an adventurer at heart and she shared that she has a profound love for reading and camping. She attended Eccles and St Ann’s primary schools and St Rose’s High School, where she honed hers kills as a debater.
However, her interest in the law was sparked after she watched several episodes of “Little House on the Prairie”. When she was older, she found herself being drawn to legal dramas, including the “Law and Order” series. She gradually grew from being fond of leading actors in law and political dramas to admiring many of her own lecturers and Guyanese lawyers and she mentioned Sir Shridath Ramphal as one of her idols.
In 2018, she and her family moved to live in Trinidad while she attended Hugh Wooding Law School. All was going well until the coronavirus got out of control and lectures were diverted online. Barrow-Graham said her final examinations were slated for May but at the onset of the pandemic, she knew it was just about impossible to pull off.
A mother of one, the attorney said it was also challenging staying on top of her studies while she tried to have her son stay on top his. “It was really a matter of learning effectively to manage my time. It was a lot of work; I would not try to play that down. Trinidad was also one of the first countries to initiate and implement a lockdown. We had to hurry and get groceries. People were so uncertain about the state of the environs…,” she shared.
During this time also, preparations were being made for their return home, which was some months later since airports had been shuttered.
Barrow-Graham returned to Guyana shortly before her final examinations were held in July. She recalled how frantic things were trying to have her internet set up with GTT and being told she needed to wait two weeks for installment. Finally, when she got the service it was intermittent even on the day of her exam. Nonetheless, she not only pulled through, but was the Best Graduating Guyanese as well as the only Guyanese on the Principal’s Honour Roll; 31 other Guyanese graduated from the law school.
Speaking on an important lesson she has taken away from her studies, the lawyer said, “I’ve had lecturers at the law programme and lecturers at the law school who emphasised on the importance of good character. I think this profession is one where you need to have good character traits. You need to be a person of integrity. I appreciated when a teacher would come to class and emphasize on why it is important that you be honest… I find that character goes a long way.”
While she can relax a bit more now, Barrow-Graham still hopes to one day pursue a doctorate in law and intends to fervently work towards being recognized as a legal expert on international trade law, not limited to the Caribbean region. “I would love to be able to represent the cause of developing countries because I’m from a developing country,” she said.
Barrow-Graham took the time to acknowledge all who supported her along her journey, singling out Hughes, through whom she did her in-service training, her immediate and extended family, friends and lecturers.
She dedicated her achievement to her son, Jivan, and hoped that he sees that with hard work, comes great results. Barrow-Graham was admitted to the Bar in the presence of her son, husband and mother.
