Attorney General and St. John’s City South candidate Sir Stedroy Benjamin says Antigua and Barbuda is on track to establish a full law school within the next parliamentary term, expanding legal education opportunities locally and across the region.
Benjamin pointed to the upcoming launch of a law faculty later this year as a major step toward that goal, noting that students will soon be able to begin legal studies in Antigua and Barbuda from September.
“It is my intention to establish during this term, in Antigua and Barbuda, a law school,” Benjamin said during a candidate interview ahead of the April 30 general election.
He said the initiative is designed not only to serve Antiguans and Barbudans, but also students from across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and beyond, as demand for legal education continues to outpace available spaces in existing regional institutions.
Benjamin explained that the groundwork for the expansion has already been laid, including consultations with regional legal experts and officials. He added that Antigua and Barbuda’s existing progress in legal education — including the establishment of a local university campus — has positioned the country to take the next step.
“We have now done graduate school. We shall establish a law school in Antigua and Barbuda, which caters not only for Antiguans and OECS students, but for persons around the world,” he said.
The Attorney General also linked the plan to his broader efforts to modernize the country’s legal system, citing initiatives such as the introduction of e-litigation, specialized courts, and sentencing guidelines as part of positioning Antigua and Barbuda as a regional leader in legal development.
He recalled that Antiguans previously had to travel abroad to pursue legal studies and said the planned law school would remove that barrier for future generations.
“I didn’t want Antiguans and Barbudans to go through that hassle when it came to study law,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin is seeking re-election in St. John’s City South and has outlined the law school as one of several long-term initiatives he hopes to advance if returned to office.