As the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda prepares for its April 30 general election, incumbent Attorney General Benjamin has positioned the launch of a new national law faculty — scheduled to welcome its first cohort of students this September — as a landmark policy pledge for his upcoming term if re-elected.
In an interview held as part of his re-election campaign for the St. John’s City South constituency, Benjamin laid out his vision for the full establishment of the law school, a project that has already cleared the foundational planning stages. Preparatory work for the initiative has included in-depth consultations with leading regional legal practitioners and government stakeholders, building on the existing progress the country has already made in expanding tertiary education, most notably the successful launch of a local university campus and established graduate degree programs.
Benjamin emphasized that the new law school will fill a critical gap in regional higher education. Demand for accredited legal training across the Caribbean has consistently outstripped the limited number of spots available at existing regional institutions, he explained. To address this, the facility will not only serve domestic students from Antigua and Barbuda, but also learners from across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and even international students from further afield.
For decades, the Attorney General noted, aspiring lawyers from Antigua and Barbuda have been forced to relocate overseas to complete their legal education, a process that creates significant financial and logistical barriers for young people. With the establishment of a local law school, that burden will be eliminated for future generations, he said. “I didn’t want Antiguans and Barbudans to go through that hassle when it came to study law,” Benjamin stated.
Beyond expanding access to education, the new law faculty is a core component of Benjamin’s broader strategy to modernize Antigua and Barbuda’s entire legal framework and cement the country’s status as a regional leader in legal innovation. He pointed to ongoing efforts already underway to update the national legal system, including the rollout of electronic litigation processes, the creation of specialized courts, and the formalization of standardized sentencing guidelines — all aligned with the goal of advancing holistic legal development across the nation.
Announced as one of several key long-term policy initiatives Benjamin aims to advance if voters return him to office, the law faculty project marks a major milestone in the country’s push to expand educational opportunity and strengthen regional governance.