Bernice Lake
Encyclopedia
Dame
Bernice Lake, QC
, (? - Septemnber 10, 2011) was an Anguilla
n-born jurist
and legal scholar whose career spanned more than forty years. In 1985, she became the first woman from the Eastern Caribbean to be appointed Queen's Counsel
. Lake was also the first graduate of the University of the West Indies
to receive the honor.
Lake was born in Anguilla
and attended school on St. Kitts, but resided in Antigua
for most of her life. She obtained a degree in history
and graduated with honors from the University College of the West Indies at Mona
in Jamaica
, which later became the University of the West Indies.
Lake worked as a diplomat
for the short-lived West Indies Federation
's foreign service until the federation
collapsed in 1962. Lake soon launched a second career by entering law school
at UCL Faculty of Laws at University College London
. She campaigned against apartheid in South Africa
and other causes as a law student. Lake earned her Honours Degree in Law in 1967.
Lake was admitted to the bar
in St. Kitts in 1967 soon after obtaining her law degree. Lake became a prominent jurist, specializing in human rights
and constitutional law
. Her chambers
, Lake & Kentish, which she opened with attorney Joyce Kentishher niece and was later joined by Kendreth Kentish and George Lake, were located on Antigua. Lake was the chief architect of the 1975 Constitution of Anguilla. In 1981, she served as a member of the committee charged with framing the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda
. Another member of the Antiguan constitutional committee, Sydney Christian QC
, said of Lake's role in drafting the document, "She was very much in the forefront of the fight for constitutional law
and she was always very aggressive in her defence of the Constitution here in Antigua."
Lake was a supporter of the Caribbean Court of Justice
(CCJ), which was established in 2001.
In 2004, the government of Antigua and Barbuda bestowed knighthood and the title Dame
on Lake for her contributions to contributions to the Antiguan and the Caribbean legal systems, as well as her outlook on women's rights
, political rights and civil rights
. The University of the West Indies awarded Lake a Honorary Doctorate
in Law at its Cave Hill campus graduation in Barbados
in 2007. In July 2011, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
, Anguilla Bar Association, and the other bar association
s of the OECS honored her for her contributions at a joint event.
Dame Bernice Lake died at Mount St John Medical Centre in Antigua September 10, 2011, at the age of 78 after a brief illness. Her funeral was held at St Peters Parish Church in St. John's
with burial in the churchyard. Dignitaries in attendance included Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Baldwin Spencer
, Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda Dame Louise Lake-Tack
, opposition leaders and members of the Caribbean legal community. The delegation from Anguilla included Minister of Home Affairs Walcott Richardson.
Dame
A Dame may be:* Dame , a female title of rank, equivalent to 'Sir' used as the title of a knight* A title of respect for certain Benedictine nuns equivalent to the male "Dom"* A pantomime dame...
Bernice Lake, QC
QC
In Commonwealth countries, QC refers to Queen's Counsel, a distinguished and experienced legal practitioner.QC may also refer to:* Quebec Canada Post provincial abbreviation...
, (? - Septemnber 10, 2011) was an Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...
n-born jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and legal scholar whose career spanned more than forty years. In 1985, she became the first woman from the Eastern Caribbean to be appointed Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
. Lake was also the first graduate of the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
to receive the honor.
Lake was born in Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...
and attended school on St. Kitts, but resided in Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
for most of her life. She obtained a degree in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and graduated with honors from the University College of the West Indies at Mona
Mona, Jamaica
Mona is a neighbourhood in southeastern Saint Andrew Parish, approximately five miles from Kingston, Jamaica. A former sugar plantation, it is the site of a reservoir serving the city of Kingston and of the main campus of the University of the West Indies...
in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, which later became the University of the West Indies.
Lake worked as a diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
for the short-lived West Indies Federation
West Indies Federation
The West Indies Federation, also known as the Federation of the West Indies, was a short-lived Caribbean federation that existed from January 3, 1958, to May 31, 1962. It consisted of several Caribbean colonies of the United Kingdom...
's foreign service until the federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
collapsed in 1962. Lake soon launched a second career by entering law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
at UCL Faculty of Laws at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. She campaigned against apartheid in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and other causes as a law student. Lake earned her Honours Degree in Law in 1967.
Lake was admitted to the bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
in St. Kitts in 1967 soon after obtaining her law degree. Lake became a prominent jurist, specializing in human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
. Her chambers
Chambers (law)
A judge's chambers, often just called his or her chambers, is the office of a judge.Chambers may also refer to the type of courtroom where motions related to matter of procedure are heard.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :...
, Lake & Kentish, which she opened with attorney Joyce Kentishher niece and was later joined by Kendreth Kentish and George Lake, were located on Antigua. Lake was the chief architect of the 1975 Constitution of Anguilla. In 1981, she served as a member of the committee charged with framing the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
. Another member of the Antiguan constitutional committee, Sydney Christian QC
QC
In Commonwealth countries, QC refers to Queen's Counsel, a distinguished and experienced legal practitioner.QC may also refer to:* Quebec Canada Post provincial abbreviation...
, said of Lake's role in drafting the document, "She was very much in the forefront of the fight for constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
and she was always very aggressive in her defence of the Constitution here in Antigua."
Lake was a supporter of the Caribbean Court of Justice
Caribbean Court of Justice
The Caribbean Court of Justice is the judicial institution of the Caribbean Community . Established in 2001, it is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago....
(CCJ), which was established in 2001.
In 2004, the government of Antigua and Barbuda bestowed knighthood and the title Dame
Dame
A Dame may be:* Dame , a female title of rank, equivalent to 'Sir' used as the title of a knight* A title of respect for certain Benedictine nuns equivalent to the male "Dom"* A pantomime dame...
on Lake for her contributions to contributions to the Antiguan and the Caribbean legal systems, as well as her outlook on women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
, political rights and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. The University of the West Indies awarded Lake a Honorary Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Law at its Cave Hill campus graduation in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
in 2007. In July 2011, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court is a superior Court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and three British...
, Anguilla Bar Association, and the other bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
s of the OECS honored her for her contributions at a joint event.
Dame Bernice Lake died at Mount St John Medical Centre in Antigua September 10, 2011, at the age of 78 after a brief illness. Her funeral was held at St Peters Parish Church in St. John's
St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
St John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, a country located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. St John's is located at...
with burial in the churchyard. Dignitaries in attendance included Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Baldwin Spencer
Baldwin Spencer
Winston Baldwin Spencer is the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He has been Prime Minister since March 24, 2004, when his party, the United Progressive Party , which he had led as the opposition party for several years, won a parliamentary election...
, Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda Dame Louise Lake-Tack
Louise Lake-Tack
Dame Louise Agnetha Lake-Tack, GCMG, DStJ is the current Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda.-Background and earlier career:...
, opposition leaders and members of the Caribbean legal community. The delegation from Anguilla included Minister of Home Affairs Walcott Richardson.