Tributes paid to outgoing Court of Appeal president
Members of the Bermuda Bar and judiciary lauded Sir Christopher Clarke, the outgoing President of the Court of Appeal, during a special sitting of the Supreme Court yesterday.
Sir Christopher is retiring from the position after nine years on the Court of Appeal and seven years as its president.
Prosecutor Audley Quallo worked with Sir Christopher and the other appeal justices as the court’s clerk before being Called to the Bar last year.
Mr Quallo said Sir Christopher left an “indelible mark on the Bermuda Court of Appeal and the jurisprudence of Bermuda”.
He added: “I have been honoured and have had the privilege to work alongside you and experiencing first-hand your exceptional leadership, your dedication to this co-equal branch of the Government known as the judiciary.”
Mr Quallo said Sir Christopher’s guidance inspired people to be the best versions of themselves.
Susan Mulligan, senior legal aid counsel, said Sir Christopher challenged lawyers to“ rise to the standards he has set and continue to strive towards a system where justice is timely, fair and uncompromised”.
She added: “He has sharpened our resolve, strengthened our discipline and reminded us that the pursuit of justice is not a matter of convenience, rather a shared duty and responsibility.”
Sir Christopher’s Court of Appeal colleagues also paid tribute to him.
Dame Elizabeth Gloster and Sir Christopher served on the appeal courts in Jersey, Guernsey and Bermuda.
Dame Elizabeth said: “Apart from your mighty intellect, which others have mentioned, I shall miss your coruscating wit, your impeccable use of language and your jolly company at the Bermudian dinner table.”
Sir Christopher Clarke was Called to the Bar in Middle Temple, London, in 1969.
He became an attorney of the Supreme Court of the Turks & Caicos Islands in 1975 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel nine years later.
Sir Christopher served as a recorder, a part-time judicial officer, from 1988 to 2004 and was the head of Brick Court Chambers between 1990 until 2004.
He was a deputy high court judge from 1993 to 2004 and head of the English Commercial Bar Association from 1993 to 1994.
He was also on the Court of Appeal in Jersey and Guernsey from 1998 until 2004, joined the Bermuda Court of Appeal in 2016, and was appointed its president two years later.
Chief Justice Larry Mussenden, who serves with Sir Christopher on the Judicial and Legal Services Committee, said he was a steadfast supporter of the Bermuda judiciary.
Mr Justice Mussenden said: “I believe we have all been impressed by his eagerness to understand the fabric of Bermuda’s society, with his parallel keenness to throw himself into cases of minor domestic nature with the same care and zeal as a complex commercial dispute involving billions of dollars.”
Shakira Dill-Francois, the Solicitor-General, spoke on behalf of herself and Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General, who is off the island.
She said: “I thank you for your leadership and commitment to justice, which has helped strengthen our courts and advance the rule of law.”
Sir Christopher, who will be retiring from the bench early next year, thanked those present and said eight potential Court of Appeal justices will be interviewed, from a total of 32 applicants, next week.
He said: “I shall leave and go, as the motto of Bermuda says, ‘Quo fata ferunt’ — ‘Where the fates take me.’
“I do hope I shall not lose all contact with Bermuda, and that when any of you come to London, it may be possible to make contact with me.”
You must be Registered or to post comment or to vote.
