Belizean sworn in as CCJ judge

A national of Belize has been appointed a judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Justice Denys Arthur Barrow was sworn in by Governor General Sir Colville Young at a ceremony in his home country of Belize recently. He is the first citizen of Belize to be appointed to the CCJ bench.

Barrow brings to the CCJ bench a 40-year legal career, including several stints of judicial appointments in judiciaries across the region and membership on a world-renowned tribunal dealing with international labor and human rights.

He is a graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a Bachelor of Laws and received a Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School, Jamaica.

Barrow was admitted to practice law in Belize in 1977 and embarked on a career in private practice. In 1990, he was elevated to the Senior Counsel and opened his own law firm “Barrow and Company.”

His judicial career included service as a High Court Judge in St. Lucia, Grenada, Belize and the British Virgin Islands between 2001 and 2005, Justice of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court from 2005 to 2008 and Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of Belize from 2010-2012.

In 2007, Barrow was selected by the Belize Bar Association for its prestigious Custos Justitiae Award for excellence in the practice of law. In 2012, he was awarded the insignia for Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his distinguished service to Belize in the field of law. Barrow was selected from among applicants from the Caribbean, North America and Eastern Europe.