?Michael Rooplal is the most outstanding student at the Hugh Wooding Law School. He walked away with the bulk of the prizes during the graduation ceremony at the Hilton Trinidad on Saturday night. The UWI law school's graduation represented a milestone in the lives of the 209 graduates from T&T, Barbados, Guyana, Dominica, St Vincent and Grenada. More than a graduation ceremony, it marked the beginning of their careers as lawyers in their respective territories. All of the graduates will be admitted to the Bar in their respective countries, later this month.
The gala ceremony was attended by Chief Justices Sir David Simmons and Ivor Archie, of Barbados and T&T, respectively. Sir David, key speaker, in his address to the graduates, said: "As attorneys-at-law, you have joined a profession with a long and noble history."
He reminded them that they played a vital role in protecting the democratic way of life, and to never lose sight of that goal. Sir David congratulated the graduates and added: "Your success has been achieved through self-sacrifice and hard work..." Rooplal, from Penal, graduated on the Principal's Roll of Honour, and was the recipient of the Keith S Sobion Memorial Prize, the Book Specialists' Prize for most outstanding performance, the Robert Mathieu Sellier Memorial Prize, and the Principal's Award for Advocacy. His success went beyond his academics. Rooplal was president of the Student Council and was well-recognised by his peers.
Despite his success, however, Rooplal's heart is set not on the prestige and lifestyle of being a lawyer; it is, instead, on using his education and skills to help those less fortunate. Rooplal, from the chambers of Jagdeo Singh, was a member of the West Indies lawyers' team which participated in the Lawyers Cricket World Cup in England, last July and August. Speaking after the ceremony, Rooplal said a goal of his was to provide legal representation for the less fortunate. He had seen many people who needed legal help, but simply could not afford it. As a lawyer, he said his primary goal was to ensure that justice was upheld and fair, even for those unable to afford private legal consultation.