Author(s): Justin Sobion

Biography/Memoir

KEITH SOBION was nothing short of an iconic Caribbean man who had a profound affection for the region. Keith was a member of the first class of graduates from the Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad in 1975. Prior to that date, all law graduates from the West Indies were trained within the United Kingdom. Initially dubbed a "locally assembled" lawyer, he eventually rose to the esteemed position of Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago. Keith was later appointed Principal of the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica where he served for 12 years before his passing. At only 56 years of age, he had done so much for legal education but still had much more to offer.

In these moving Memoirs, his son Justin combines facts and anecdotes with a bit of humour to capture his father's exploits. These pages reveal Keith's story during the Black Power Movement, the University of the West Indies in Barbados, the 1990 attempted coup d' tat, politics, life in Jamaica and his critical role in promoting the Caribbean Court of Justice. Justin also addresses his struggle to accept the loss of his father and how he later comes to terms with it and his own destiny.

The West Indian Lawyer adds to the knowledge of the political history of Trinidad and Tobago in the late 80s/early 90s and engenders a greater appreciation for Caribbean legal education.