“When I reflect on my entire career, I observe that at every turn, I had to make a choice of some sort or another, some which were not easy to make.”
Memoirs of a Caribbean Lawyer, as penned through the lens of Lewis Stephenson Hunte, QC, is an inspiring journey of a man who had dreamt of one day becoming a priest but later found himself deeply in love with law. The recurring theme throughout the memoir is the importance of choices, some of which were easy to make while others took more courage to see through.
In his introduction, the author gives the reader a thorough breakdown of his ancestral lineage, which gives the reader some insight into how he came to be known in this world. He recounted a memory of visiting Grant’s Bay, Barbados, as a little boy and hearing locals refer to a particular area of the Bay as “shipwreck” or “behind the beam”. It was not until he was much older that he learnt the true origin of those names and the connection to a shipwreck that occurred in the early 1830s. He also found out that the wrecked ship had one survivor, an African slave, and that the grandparents of his maternal grandmother had rescued the slaveq. In turn for their kindness and generosity, the young African man married one of their daughters. It was through this union and their many descendants that the author would eventually come into being. His relatives on his maternal grandfather’s side, he remarks, were of a different hue as they were descendants of a Spaniard by the name of Lopez.
Following the author’s brief dive into his ancestral lineage, the book provides a timeline from the author’s childhood when he attended an all-boys school in Barbados, to his home life, his experiences of singing in the church choir and the impact that this all had on him during his formative years. It was his transition from learning as a student to working in the real world that forced him to adjust his thinking. His first job was teaching at an all-girls elementary school, which he describes as a period of learning for him as much as it was for the children, and he discovered what it meant to have job satisfaction. He did not remain a teacher for long as he got his first taste of the law as an office clerk in the Police Magistrate’s Court District A in Bridgetown, Barbados. It may have been unknown to the author at the time, but the memoir goes on to reveal that his time as an office clerk provided him with the opportunity to connect with people who would subsequently help to propel his legal career. It was during this time that the author, who had previously dreamt of becoming a priest, decided that he would become a barrister instead.
The author then takes the reader on a journey through his life while studying in London, which included how he met his wife through an acquaintance, how he acclimatised to the weather and how he found a job to support himself living in a very expensive city. His subsequent return to Barbados after completing his studies saw him being admitted to practice at the Bar in Barbados and his admission to the Bar of England and Wales in November, 1965. Mr Hunte, QC, reflected on the advice given to him at this time by Sir William Douglas, who was then a judge, that he should work hard and come prepared. Shortly thereafter, the author was appointed to several posts such as Deputy Registrar of the Court of Appeal in Jamaica in 1968, a magisterial appointment in Barbados in 1970, the appointment as Parliamentary Counsel in the Attorney General’s Chambers in Barbados where he was responsible for legislative drafting, and the Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands in 1982 where he was responsible for the drafting of the International Business Companies Act, 1984. He subsequently transitioned from the public service to private practice at the firm of Harney, Westwood & Riegels in the British Virgin Islands in 1986. It was during his time at Harneys that he received the designation of Queen’s Counsel. He remained with the firm from 1986 until his retirement in 2003. However, his retirement did not last long as shortly thereafter he and his youngest daughter (who had also studied law and was admitted to practice in Barbados and the BVI) opened their own practice, Hunte & Co., in April 2004.
What was most noticeable throughout the memoir were the influences of individuals on the author’s life. Whether they aided him, went against him or supported him throughout his entire career all of it shaped or shifted him in some way. However, the author’s countless reflections involving the minutest of details in that regard reduced the rhythm of the book to a much slower pace than preferred.
The author however in some of the final pages recounted his brother telling him that he was a man who never applied for a job; he was always invited. This is indeed true from the accounts detailed by the author throughout his memoir, and he identifies that the only instances of any application for a job were his teaching jobs fresh out of secondary school and during his time in London. It is easy to conclude that the author was a man whose reputation always preceded him and his ability to connect easily with key players gave him tremendous opportunities as a young boy from Barbados to excel far beyond what he could have imagined.