NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS — A contingent of 23 Guyanese students have officially graduated from the Eugene Dupuch Law School (EDLS) in The Bahamas, capturing several top academic and clinical honors across multiple areas of study during the institution’s commencement ceremony.
The graduates, representing the Class of 2026, were conferred with the Legal Education Certificate (LEC) during the Presentation of Graduates Ceremony held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Margaritaville Beach Resort in Nassau.
The Guyanese cohort distinguished itself at the regional level, with six students receiving institutional prizes recognizing academic performance, clinical practice, and procedural jurisprudence.
Shania Eastman Leads Academic Prize Haul; Top Clinical Honors Conferred
Leading the graduating class in individual honors was Guyanese scholar Shania Eastman, who swept four major awards across both general academic excellence and specialized procedural law:
- The Council’s Prize: Awarded for the Most Outstanding Year 2 Student.
- The Council’s Prize: Awarded for the Most Improved Year 2 Student.
- The Chairman’s Prize: Awarded for the Best Performing Student in Law of Evidence, Remedies, and Civil Procedure and Practice I and II.
- The Davis & Co. Prize: Awarded for the Best Performing Student in Civil Procedure and Practice II.
Fellow graduates also secured top honors across clinical advocacy, commercial law, ethics, and legal technology:
- Travis Cush: Awarded The Council’s Prize for the Most Outstanding Student in the Legal Aid Clinic, as well as the Callenders & Co. Save The Bays Environmental Law Clinic Prize for outstanding performance and contribution to environmental advocacy.
- Elton Bollers: Awarded the Joseph B. Lewis Prize for the Best Performing Male Student in Year 2, alongside the HLB ACME Advisers Prize for the Best Performing Student in Law Office Management, Accounting and Technology.
- Earl Cornelius: Joint recipient of the HLB ACME Advisers Prize for the Best Performing Student in Law Office Management, Accounting and Technology.
- Rennata Nikram: Awarded the Colin E. Callender, Q.C. Memorial Prize for outstanding performance and contribution to the Commercial and Financial Services Law Clinic.
- Yashobu Parks: Awarded the Honourable Mr. Justice Emmanuel Osadebay Prize for the Best Performing Student in the Law of Remedies, Ethics, Rights and Obligations of the Legal Profession, and Civil Procedure and Practice I.
Pathway to the Guyana Bar
The conferral of the Legal Education Certificate marks the conclusion of a demanding two-year professional course of study administered by the Council of Legal Education (CLE).
The LEC represents the requisite qualification mandated by statute across Commonwealth Caribbean jurisdictions for law graduates petitioning for admission to practice.
Following formal compliance with domestic admission protocols and statutory applications submitted to the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature, all 23 graduates will proceed through the formal process of admission to the Guyana Bar, bolstering the nation’s judicial system, public prosecution services, corporate legal counsel, and private bar.
