Justice Sector Reform in Guyana: A Guyanese-American Lawyer Travels to Georgetown

I just about fell out of my chair when I saw the e-mail announcing that New Perimeter was initiating a project in Guyana. Here was the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in an international legal pro bono project focused on criminal justice -- something I am passionate about after a graduate degree in criminal justice policy and several years spent working for the federal prison system. More than that, however, I was so shocked and so excited because I know Guyana very well. I am Guyanese-American.

With only about 750,000 people, Guyana is a relatively small country that suffers tremendously from the phenomenon known as “brain drain.” In fact, there are more Guyanese living abroad than there are in Guyana. This is one of the reasons why Guyana can benefit from organizations like New Perimeter that aim to build domestic capacity.

I could not pass up the opportunity to apply to be a part of this New Perimeter project. Not only would the experience be personally meaningful, but I also knew that DLA Piper attorneys could make a lasting impact in a country where I know first-hand the real desire for development and progress.

News of me going to Guyana dominated our family dinner on Christmas day, and I have gotten many calls and emails from family in the US, Canada, and England saying how proud they are that my law firm chose Guyana. As the trip approached and our team finalized our materials and presentations, I was looking forward to seeing how the training would be received, and I knew my family would be awaiting my report.

Arriving in Georgetown, I was filled with the joy of visiting “home” again. What Guyana lacks in modern conveniences, it more than makes up for in its friendly people, the unspoiled natural wonders of the Amazon and the country’s many waterfalls.

I worked with the New Perimeter team to present a two-day training workshop to prosecutors and police prosecutors. The participants were fully engaged and asked challenging questions. What impressed me most about my DLA Piper colleagues was their ability to adapt and reinvent our presentations to meet the challenges raised. The work we did with prosecutors was valuable to them and educational to me. Our team engaged in some particularly interesting debates with the prosecutors around differences between the written law, interpretation of the law, and local applications of the law. As a new attorney myself, I got the chance to build analytical skills in evidence presentation and witness examination. Our discussions often continued at lunch and during breaks as we sipped fresh passion fruit juice and munched on cheese rolls and pine tarts.

I returned to California with a new sense of what it means to work for DLA Piper. The partners and associates on our team are incredible, thoughtful, engaging, diligent, and generous individuals with high standards. I am very proud of the work we did (and my family is proud of me) and I hope we have changed the way many police prosecutors, prosecutors, and magistrates will approach trial practice and view what is possible within Guyanese law.