Three new lawyers, including the son of Appeal Court Judge Alice Yorke-Soo Hon, were admitted to the T&T Bar yesterday. Jonathan Soo Hon, 23, Carol Khan,daughter of former PNM minister Franklin Khan, and Zelica Haynes were admitted before a full court comprising Justices Nolan Bereaux and Maureen Rajnauth-Lee in the Port-of-Spain High Court.
Soo Hon's petition was presented by Israel Khan, SC, Carol Khan's by Desmond Allum, SC, and Haynes' by Hyacinth Griffith. Yorke-Soo Hon, who normally sits as a judge in court, was seated in the public gallery with her husband Francis, and father Arthur, to witness the ceremony. The judge's son is also pursuing his LLM in the UK. Khan and his wife Laura were present for the swearing in of their daughter, who was also admitted as a barrister in the UK. She practises in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Haynes is a national scholarship winner. In welcoming the new lawyers, Rajnauth-Lee said when hard times come, they build character in those who do not run away. She said with the rumour of a recession coming, people may be tempted to put their dreams on hold. She said the legal profession was the most wonderful one. She said it brought hope to the hopeless people. Rajnauth-Lee said the judiciary looked for people with integrity to appear before them. "Nothing is more comforting than hearing someone speak the truth," the judge added.