National Scholar Charlene LaShawn Douglas is now properly accredited to practice law in the OECS.

On Thursday, November 5, 2009, the daughter of the Kenneth and Carol Douglas of Queen’s Drive was called to the Bar of the OECS, after being introduced to Justice Remy by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and veteran attorney Parnell Campbell, QC.{{more}} Also witnessing the event were her sister Karol, aunts Nina Maloney and Hermina Cambridge, and family friend Claude “Junior” Cambridge.

Gonsalves, extolling the qualities of the young lawyer, described her as a quiet, unassuming young Vincentian who understood the value of hard work and dedication; one for whom excellence is a goal to strive for always, rather than an unattainable hindrance to self-fulfilment.

He said he considered her to be a model that serious young people could do well to emulate. Not only has she excelled academically, winning the Prime Minister’s Award for academic excellence in 2005, she never allowed herself to be sidetracked or distracted.

Douglas attended the Richmond Hill Primary and then the Kingstown Preparatory School. In 1998 she won a seven-year Cable & Wireless Scholarship and attended the Girls’ High School, where in 2003 she obtained 10 CXC passes, and the St. Vincent Community College, where apart from achieving a Grade “A” General Studies, she obtained “A” Levels in Law, History, Literatures in English and French.

At the Community College, Douglas also won outstanding awards in Literatures in English (2004) and Law (2005) and was a founding member of the Community College’s Law Society and member of the Heritage Club.

In October 2005, she enrolled to read law at the University of Southampton Law School in the UK. After graduating with an LLB (Hons) degree in June 2008, she was accepted to do her professional training at the City Law School, City University in London. During this time, she became a member of The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. On the successful completion of the Bar Vocational Course (BVC), her Inn called her to the Bar of England and Wales on October 8, 2009.

Campbell, who seconded Charlene’s application to the Bar, echoed Gonsalves’ sentiments. He told the judge that while at the Community College, Douglas found time to mentor other students. She attended the Global Young Leaders Conference in the United States in 2004, where the spark for her career choice as a lawyer was lit.

The young lawyer, in addition to thanking all who directly assisted or prayed for her success, asked the Prime Minister to convey her gratitude to the Government for granting her a National Scholarship. She said her greatest wish is that in the not too distant future she would have the opportunity to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines internationally, either at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) or the United Nations.