The Attorney General yesterday celebrated the achievements of nine civil servants who have gained The Institute of Legal Executive Certificate in Paralegal Studies.

Phil Perinchief, Minister of Justice, said those who completed the course had "raised the bar for what will be the future minimum requirement for all Administrative Assistants hired by the Ministry".

"This means in essence that we will be requiring and continuing to assist all of our Administrative Assistants to become qualified either as a legal secretary or a paralegal," said Sen. Perinchief.

Those to receive the certificate are: Deanna Binns, Paula Simons, Dennika Cole, Kristina DeValle, Doreen Fevrier, Dorianne Hurdle, Paula Nelson, Senior Pully, and Rhonda Smith-Simmons.

Sen. Perinchief told them: "All of us in the Ministry of Justice and throughout the Government are very proud of you and we wish you the best in your chosen career paths.

"Thank you for giving so much of yourself to help shape our office to make it an even better professional environment."

Speaking at a press conference in the Attorney General's Chambers, he said: "We are especially proud of the commitment and dedication shown by these persons who are our first programme graduates.

"It was an intensive one-year programme and they were required to attend training sessions every Tuesday evening from 5.30 p.m. and 9 p.m."

Also present were: Lesley Graham, President of the Institute of Legal Executives; John Westwood, Director of ILEX; and David Addington, Chairman of ILEX Bermuda Branch.

Mrs. Graham said that during her week on the Island, she had discussed the possibility of a Bill for the registration of Legal Executives in Bermuda with Premier Dr. Ewart Brown in order to "encourage and bring on young Bermudians who would aspire to a career in the Law which otherwise would not be open to them".

The Attorney General's Chambers, Department of Public Prosecutions, Supreme Court Registry, Department of Court Services and the Bermuda College entered into an agreement last year to provide executive legal training for ten employees from the Ministry of Justice.

Three more members of staff are currently studying for the qualification.

The training aims to give all administrative staff a basic knowledge in law to increase proficiency in research and in preparing legal documents and correspondence.