Bermuda's two new Supreme Court justices were sworn in at an official ceremony at Government House yesterday.

Experienced magistrate Carlisle Greaves gets a step up after a brief trial period in the Supreme Court while experienced commercial lawyer Geoffrey Bell QC also gets a five-year contract after spells as an acting judge.

Chief Justice Richard Ground said each of the new appointments brought a speciality to the table with Mr. Bell having a strong commercial background and Mr. Greaves having a lot of criminal law experience.

Mr. Ground said this year he hoped to set up a specialist commercial court to be run by Mr. Bell and fellow puisne judge Ian Kawaley but accommodation was needed.

"We cannot do that until we have the proper accommodation to put it in but we are moving in that direction and Mr. Bells' appointment is a first step," he said.

Commercial cases are normally held in the ramshackle Booth Hall but Mr. Ground said there was no point in investing in it because it was rented on a month-to-month basis.

He told Government was hoping to break ground on the new combined Police and Magistrate court building in Court Street earlier this year which might then free up the Magistrates' Court for up to two Supreme Courts.

"It will take some while to build the new building ? we are looking at a couple of years ? but at the end of that it will free up the magistrates court and converting that into supreme court use at that time may well be a viable and reasonably priced option."

Mr. Ground, who was on the interviewing panel for new judges, said Mr. Greaves' reputation for speeding up trials in Magistrates' Court while acting chief magistrate had helped secure his appointment.

The Chief Justice is keen to clear up the backlog in the higher courts.

Mr. Greaves has been a magistrate for 12 years ? half of which was spent in his native Barbados before he came here.

Known for his efficiency in the lower court he admitted the Supreme Court was a more formal setting and he would have to tread more carefully in order not to incur too many appeals.

"From that perspective it will be different but I am comfortable with it," he said.

Mr. Bell, 59, said it was a logical career step form him to use his decades' of legal experience on the bench.

But he said he expected to cover criminal trials as well as commercial matters and has done 15 to 20 jury trials as a lawyer in Bermuda years ago.

He arrived in Bermuda in 1971 and went on to head Appelby, Spurling and Kempe's litigation department for years. He has retired as Appleby Spurling and Hunter senior counsel to take the judge's position.

"I have acted as an assistant justice in the past and dealt with a wide variety of other civil matters, matrimonial matters," he said.

Governor Sir John Vereker said he was grateful to get such good candidates locally.

Bermuda now has six Supreme Court judges. They are Chief Justice Richard Ground, Norma Wade-Miller, Ian Kawaley, Charles-Etta Simmons, Geoffrey Bell and Carlisle Greaves.