We join with much of the nation in mourning the passing of the respected and legendary Desmond Allum, a venerable attorney who has left an impressive footprint on the profession of law. Mr Allum's death earlier this week surprised many for, despite his 75 years of age, he was vibrant and relevant in his practise of the law and also as President of the Criminal Bar Association. He was also lead partner at Trinity Chambers, where no fewer than 27 attorneys practised, making the sizeable law firm an entrenched and redoubtable legal entity.
Mr Allum was a legal luminary of the ilk of contemporary Karl Hudson-Phillips, having honed his image as a powerful, perceptive and penetrative defence attorney with a commanding presence in spite of his often quiet demeanour. To the end of his life he fought for justice in the Akiel Chambers death, that being the measure of the man, a lawyer with a social conscience and an unquenchable thirst for fairness and rightfulness. Mr Allum may well have been imbued with a spirit of social activism in Britain, where he studied in the heady 1960s, alongside peers George Hislop and Vernon de Lima. Four years after his 1966 return to Trinidad and Tobago, he defended soldiers involved in the 1970 military uprising and also remained on the fringes of the movement that clamoured for a more indigenous involvement in the post-colonial society.
In court, he was a daunting criminal defence attorney, who stirred anxieties among many witnesses in spite of his calm, almost convivial, nature. Out of court, Mr Allum was proactive on matters pertaining to his beloved profession and provided leadership and virtual tutelage to many attorneys, some of whom are current front-line practitioners at the bar. He was a stout defender and staunch advocate of justice, and mere days before his death he wrote a passionate letter to the media on issues germane to the local law school. Interestingly, his subdued entry into parliamentary politics, in 1991 as representative of Port-of-Spain North-St Ann's, became a source of intrigue when he was overlooked for the post of Attorney General, for which he was doubtlessly well suited. In a baffling decision, then-Prime Minister Patrick Manning opted for the then-little-known Keith Sobion.
Mr Allum exited Parliament in 1995 and devoted his energies to his professional career and to charitable endeavours, especially in Fyzabad, the town of his birth for which he maintained a life-long affinity.
He assisted a number of community endeavours and kept faith with residents, who had as much regard for his professional successes as for his humility and simple nature. He would also be remembered for instilling passion and insisting upon principle among young attorneys who came under his watch, urging them to the highest ethical and professional standards. Today, many attorneys cite Mr Allum as their reference on matters of professional and moral values. Mr Allum was, indeed, a national of distinction, a man who lived his life honourably and served his profession and society faithfully. That makes him an exemplary citizen, which we acknowledge and endear to the nation, and especially to young professionals. Desmond Allum's was, indeed, a life well lived; we honour his contribution to our country and his pursuit of excellence. May he rest in peace.
