Special Court Sitting Held To Thank Justices

Members of the Bermuda Bar paid homage during a special sitting to thank the Rt. Hon Justice Zacca, President of the Court of Appeal and Sir Anthony Evans who retired from the Court of Appeal Circuit having dedicated many years of service to the people of Bermuda. The special hearing was arranged to express gratitude to both justices.

During a special gathering of the members and judiciary held at the Harbourfront Restaurant, President of the Bermuda Bar Association Mr. Justin Williams presented both justices with engraved gifts thanking them for their dedication and years of service to this country.

Mr. Williams stated that the members of the Bermuda Bar have been served well and have the upmost respect for the Court of Appeal Justices, adding that “their knowledge of the law has seen quality judgments handed down over the years and they leave Bermuda with a legacy as always having been seen to be fair.”

In his address to the court Mr Williams highlighted; their Lordships’ contributions to the maintenance and development of Bermuda’s criminal and public law [including on issues of fundamental rights and international co-operation in extradition and tax information exchange]; their contributions to the maintenance and development of Bermuda’s civil, commercial and trusts law [including on international issues relating to the enforcement of foreign judgments, support of international arbitration, and assistance to foreign liquidators]; the relatively low volume of successful appeals from Bermuda to the Privy Council; the substantial amount of time and effort that they must spend on resolving Bermuda disputes and their patience and diplomatic approach to the wide variety of lawyers and litigants that have appeared before them.

Mr Williams noted that President Zacca was first appointed to the Court of Appeal for Bermuda in 1996, has been president of the court since January 2004 and that Sir Anthony had been appointed in January 2003.

Mr Williams remarked that a search on the Bermuda Law Reports suggests that Zacca’s name had been mentioned in, or he has been involved in, at least 181 reported judgments of the Bermuda Court of Appeal since his appointment in 1996 .The number of cases in which Evans has been involved appears to be in the region of 120 reported judgments since 2003.

Mr Williams also took the opportunity to congratulate Sir Scott Baker on his appointment as the new president of the Court of Appeal.

Mr Williams closed by wishing their Lordships the best for the future, saying that they would be fondly remembered and greatly missed.

#BermudaLaws #Lawyer #MagistratesAndSupremeCourt

Category: All, Business