Former magistrate, Tiyani Behanzin, was on July 24, 2012, admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
Behanzin, whose two-year contract as a magistrate in Dominica with the current government was not renewed, was criticized for his “harsh sentences” some of which have been overturned by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.
He tried, unsuccessfully, to get the government to grant him a waiver, as they had done for others, from doing the six months Legal Education Certificate (LEC) at UWI. As a result, he took the matter to court and in the meantime, decided to do the LEC training, using his own funds.
Speaking to DBS news on his elevation to the bar, Behanzin stated, “I made a small submission to the court today……basically saying it was long in coming because of the way I was treated.”
“I have no regrets in what I have done and said. It was good for me to go to Trinidad and you are part of the establishment of the University of the West Indies (UWI) it allowed for me to build a more effective net work in the region,” posited the former magistrate.
He said the experience has made him an even stronger person now, given the fact that the legal profession has “a very bad reputation since most people think that lawyers are not honest”.
“If you join a profession you want it to be noble. Those are the things you have to grapple with and I want to ensure that I am forthright and noble,” he explained.
Attorney, Darius Jones, supported Behanzin’s application for application to the bar.
Jones says he sees Behanzin as a “very strong individual who speaks on issues that are very relevant which some lawyers shy away from.”
Behanzin is needed as a magistrate here, since Ms. Baptiste has been appointed masters….mr. Lewis is soon to retire, Ms. Augustus deals mainly with traffic n juveniles and Candia is relatively shy
Behanzin offered himself to continue as a Magistrate or rather a District Magistrate, but the government for political reasons refused, The Government would be wise to offer this fearless soul the post of Chief Magistrate, this would ensure that he would not get involved in politics, nor influence the political climate, this is not a man to have outside your tent, or suffer the consequency. He has galvanised the population !
Pardon my ignorance, but I am not sure I understand this case. Perhaps because I don’t know the background of an apparant controversy. The 6 month training is required for persons who have studied at foreign institutions (such as US and UK) to familiarize them with the procedures of the Eastern Caribbean courts. It is a requisite of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court not the Dominica Supreme Court.So I do not understand the reference to the Government here. The young man has now been admitted to the bar, he and his family and friends should be proud. Incidentally, the LEC, is not done by UWI but by the Legal Education Council (Norman Manley Law School -Jamaica, Hugh Wooding Law School (Trinidad) and Eugene Dupuch Law School – Bahamas). Dominica is zoned to attend the Trinidad campus.
Congratulations to you Behanzin, we really need people like you to bring more order and balance to the country. Keep your light shining.
I thought all lawyers had to be called to the bar first before calling themselves lawyers?
Sad to say Dominicans are not an enlightened public they just follow the brightest light they do not investigate first what may be in the shadows behind the light. Like everything else especially in politics when they come to realise who they are lauding it will be too late.
I’m so excited about that news, one of those who vouched for Tiyani to ve placed back in the bar after seeing so many criminals walking away free! Thank God.. Folks you really can’t keep a good man down.. Congratulations B.. and may God continue to bless you in your work…
I say this sa yo pa vlay weh douvant la porte yo, yo kay vwey abah caban yo (excuse my spelling.) out of no way God always makes a way. Someone said after all Rosie done for Dominica we hear no mention of Rosie. Ha ha I tell you Rosie is dead but his spirit lives on. It is all around this young man guiding him forward. Just pay attention to this young man and see what’s gonna happen. He who have eyes to see let him see. Jah know and the righteous know. Blessing Behanzin. Your road ahead is already carved. Dominica there is hope. Tread on brother man.
That’s right you think god joking who hav eyes to see let them see who hav ears to hear lets them you just cannot keep a good man down tread on
your dad rosie must be smiling in his grave and cursing the group of people who try to put u down thats the next level all shall eat not one set to eat
Dominica is in urgent need of a new political party, the opportunity ia now in your hands, make haste while the sun shines!!! congratulations my support is always with you.
Brilliant news. Keep the good work going. Congratulations. Nice to see you back.
Congratulations in order..
Congrats’you will continue to speak up,it is healthy.
congratulations!!!!!
Behanzin is not only a St Joe man but also a possie one, from the douglas family
Congratulations My Friend!!! Keep doing good works for our beautiful country so we could all stand strong.
Let’s face it, only the best comes out of Portsmouth. Possie let’s continuing bringing all these positive people out. I visit Dominica a couple times a year and I love Portsmouth and it’s people. Continue to live-up! Congrat Mr. Behanzin.
What about Ian, where does he fall?
Congratulations Attorney Benhanzin! What it boils down to is that “you can’t keep a good man down”. We are counting on you, and know that you will do a good job because you have a vested interest in Dominica and it’s people. Remember the road will not be easy because greed and corruption are all around you. Watch you back! and know that the majority of people in Dominica and the Caribbean are supporting you and your good judgement.
another SenJo man again. You can’t keep a good man down. CONGRATS.
congratulations to you SIR, i wish you God’s guidiance and wisdom to do what is right, please help us restore justice in our beautiful island. help us in what ever way you can. we know that you can’t do it alone , but with god’s help and humility you can.do not let corruption get in your way , stand for the truth, stand firm, stand strong. God bless you
“I wil not make the same mistakes again. I will make new mistakes” Who said these words ?
A 4mer Prime Minister said so.
I think Dr Benjamin will have to diagnose some male lawyers. There is too much delusionary people wearing gowns and thats a major problem. I wish I could go by LAVILLE down North for money . I even love it when my WIFEY in Bath Estate makes me really happy.
Here I come. Marriage is not for everybody. I wish TYANI well. he is a goodish person ( well to some extent ). Hope being exposed to law school in the Caribbean would have helped him gain a better understanding of our laws. Its going to be a testing time and I hope he thinks before he open the mouth-piece.
Let us all pray for him and sir in life you build bridges and dont subscribe to conspiracy theories, confrontational stances, or ploitical issues. Build your career and work for the betterment of Dominica. The people are watching. prove your worth and try to learn every day.
Dispair doubts and jah guide. Dont allow yourself to be used as a social robot and dont get carried away by the mike ; a crowd, the public or the media….keep away from politicians ( they will try to destroy you….learn from your late dad’s mistakes;;;for all what he did for Dominica we now hear nothing about brother Rosie )
These are good advice…
I always get a chuckle on this ““I wil not make the same mistakes again. I will make new mistakes”
I heard on a U.S. Catholic Radio, ‘Do not give advice if you were not asked.’ The advice is unwarranted. Keep your advice to yourself. Do you think that you are more intelligent than Behanzin? He has a personality just as much as you have. Leave him alone. He does not need your advice.
There is nothing more annoying that some people offer advice without soliciting it. It could contribute to disagreements and whatever else may ensue from this.
CONGRATS TO YOU MY BROTHER/SON OF THE SOIL. WE NEED NORE MEN LIKE YOU IN OUR COUNTRY.
behanzin viwé pou ba yo bwa.fè anlè yo
FABULOUS!
I think he will do very well as the state leading prosecutor since he seem to be on the side of bringing criminals to justice. He should be hired by the Police force paid a lawyers salary and used on every criminal case as lead prosecutor.
Congratulations buddy! I wish you God’s continued blessings!!!
It’s about time and long overdue. Finally has finally come. Now the work to move forward and maintain integrity.
i cant agree more,it was time but this time they dont have a choice than to call him to the bar..stay strong my brother..
Good luck!!!
congrats tyiani welcome back u could have gone else where but u choose to return to ur country we are proud of u
Welcome back my man!!!!!!!!!!!! i sure hope the young guys gonna change their mind before they do their stupid acts. when they remember they are going before you in court they will leave the cutlasses, guns, knives, and dangerous weapons behind and only carry “the young girls”.lol
CONGRATS
“It is not the critic who counts: Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is not effort without error or shortcoming.”
“His place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory or defeat.”
Bring em out! Bring em out!
Congratulations, mate. You are young, ambitious, driven, and Kubulian at heart. I support you unequivocally.
Bring em out!! Bring em out!!
Very timely indeed. Congrats Mr. Behanzin..! The legal fraternity needs you.
Bro congrats!you are the kind of attorney i would emulate if ever i was one..men like you,GON emmanuel and mr.commodore…D/a needs solid men of integrity,fairness and honesty like you guys.best wishes bro!!!!
I think this is a very timely calling my brother. I want to wish you continued success.
However as one supporter has suggested to you that you must strive to maintain your integrity and stand by the principles of what you have been advocating these past years.
I can assure you that you will be watch very closely by people in high places, criticized and even be ridiculed by these people because your agenda is not in line with their “modus operanda”
I urge you to be strong and trust in God Almighty…for he alone can guide you through these rough waters. Blessings and Congratulations !!!
Tiyani Behanzin, for SC
Tiyani Behanzin, for SC
I pray that he continually endeavor to remain honest and relevant. Networking is good, but I take this opportunity to beseech of Tiyani Behanzin, that he abstain from joining that inner circle Club.
@ Free Press
Everyone has friends. I am certain that he will be wise ‘to choose his friends wisely’ and know who to associate with as he always did.
GREAT!
Congratulations my friend you deserve this.
Behanzin is a true example for the up coming youth and Dominicans on a whole. Cant keep a good man down no matter what! He is really not a coward, he use what others meant for bad, to be a stepping stone and turned it into good, that is what Dominica need, strong, honest, intelligent, determine young men wow! I will follow that pattern as I journey through life. No Matter what people try, it is up to the individual. Shine On Behanzin! U are my lawyer for sure!
possibly our next prime minister!
u serious man lol..
That is one of their fears.
This is the individual who will restore faith in lawyers.
So all the time that Q95 had the man on air saying he was an Attorney at law, they were being dishonest to us? And when he was criticizing that lawyer from the DPP office, he wasn’t a lawyer himself? What a joke. Can’t wait to see his performance. Hope he learned the law finally in Trinidad where they teach it and not Q. Just a reminder, a Magistrate has 2 weeks after an appeal is filed to submit notes and reasons for his decision and not 500 days.
The man was not called in Dominica but was called to the bar in both England and Trinidad. How does that not make him an Attorney at Law? Pretty silly comment.
fool he wasnt called to the bar in trinidad geeeeeez GUILTY you are so right. Readers he cannot practise there. He can do so in the oecs and he is only now an attorney at law. He was called in Dominica ……thats why he is now part of the oecs supreme court membership.
People just wait for more bacannal and then all the dust will continue to settle…..i cannot wait to hear mistakes upon errors and grand standing……one thing we know where true legal brains lie in Dominica
TALKING about complex pychological issues well ebeh look it
Guilty you alone that have nothing good to say so why don’t go and hide yourself somewhere.Shame on you!!!!
@Guilty your goat in bush you staying man?
mordiay…everytime I think those labourites have reached the pick….they go a bit further with their rubbish…lmao
when you hate you hate, truth is difficult to accept, Mr. Behanzin was Called in Trinidad before being Called in Dominica, his own country because of you savages, what do you haters have to say about the 7 dead since he was removed from the Bench??? These are the very people who he denied bail or placed in custody, keep on hating, it is Dominica all you hate not Behanzin!!!
eeevents cast shadows
congratulations to you
I do hope you settle down
calm your head
think before you speak
learn from your past experiences
you cannot always be right
humble when your wrong
respect your superiors at all times
its good to irm and wise to be humble
arrogance gets one no where
brilliant men and women dont flaunt their cv
the fact remains you will find that their are brighter lawyers than you
talk show and panel discussions are not a court room
pray always to your God
try to understand the Dominican society and people
dont be a political football
dominicans tellll you just what they want you to hear but at your backs its another story
speak the truth and uphold this profession to the best of your ability
RESPECT THE BENCH
may God help you
congratulations
very positive and mature statement my friend, a bit above both the negativity and some of the over-zealous likely emotionally motivated comments from some of his supporters. Law is not a fool’s business and not Mr. Behanzin or anyone can call themselves the law or proclaim themselves the sole authority or expert on such matters. This man captured the hope of the Dominican people and inspired us to want a better system of justice. In doing so he became a bit of a local folk hero. However as Oscar Wilde put it: the pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple. He also erred considerably in his conduct as a magistrate and in his personal behaviour and public statements. This is more than just my personal view the facts if brought to light and UNDERSTOOD would largelly support this statement. Yet the intricacy of what took place was lost to the public at large who reduced some rather complicated matters to an oversimplified t.v soap opera version of real events aided largely by the bias portrayal of the events and the man by our media. I am not simply crying down the man or even our media, just trying to inject some alternative critical thinking with an aim at objectivity. Mr. Behanzin and I agree that the system is corrupt and needs to change. We need real intelligent, lawful and applicable solutions to our problems and I hope now that Mr. Behanzin has been called to the bar he can serve to provide that change and those solutions we desperately need. In doing so he would then truly become more than just a symbol of the change, integrity, honesty and intelligence we need but a TRUE embodiment of those principles.
I want to say congrats to you and welcome back!
Congratulations Mr. Behanzin, wish you success in your endeavours,just remain focussed.
Just do your do..we all know you are a strong individual and you will help make changes in DA….congrats….
” the legal profession has “a very bad reputation since most people think that lawyers are not honest”.”
My suggestion is that you remain true to yourself, maintain your honesty, never allow yourself to fall below the high standards which you maintain; and do not allow the temptation of money to take you down the path of corruption.
The minuet you slip and compromise allowing anyone to have something holding over your head, there is no way for the rest of your life will you be free from that demonic vice-grip.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Who Jah bless, no man curse. I congratulate you, and see greater things in store for you. Stand strong and continue to believe in God.
CONGRATTULATIONS ON UR NWE APPOINTMENT SIR, & DAT’S THE NEXT LEVEL.
WHO JAH BLESS NO MAN CURSE! WHO JAH BLESS NO MAN CURSE!….You go Behanzin! They tried, tried and tried, but with prayers and Jah on your side you were able to take those stumbling blocks and obtain mighty victory…..Blessings in your endeavours and never waver from your principles and values….Tell them try bring you down again nuh….I hear other Islands begging for your services….We just don’t know what we got till we lose them.
God bless you sir,i pray that the great god in heaven guide and protect you thru your struggle.Behinzin there is a greater calling meekly wait.
Congratulations and well done on your accomplishment. Welcome to the Fraternity. You will do well!
Congratulations Mr behanzin I am proud of you. I remember speaking to you on my way home from work one night after u gave me a ride home. I admire your strength and determination keep doing what u do I hope to follow in your footsteps one day
That’s a bit too much info. Trying to put the man in trouble?
Congratulations to you Sir and you will certainly be appointed the magistrate that Dominica needs. If God be for you who can be against you????
Way to go Behanzin! They can’t stop your shine.I honestly believe that you mean well but some will always oppose you no matter what. Keep striving for justice while you remain cognizant of the fact that it will take years to bring Dominica to that level of tranquility that it should be, where humility, community (brotherhood),honesty and good work ethic will serve as guiding principles for our nation. It cannot be done in the blink of an eye, but never should we deem it wishful thinking. We need to focus on walking the walk like Tiyani is doing; too much talking the talk.
Best wishes…….
You are a very brilliant man. I expected you to make it no matter what. Congratulations
DNO, I wonder why your headline refers to Behanzin as a “Barrister”. I believe this is legally incorrect. It would be more appropriate to refer to him as an “Attorney” or an “Attorney-at-Law”
Here is my reason: Once one has completed and obtained his Legal Education Certificate (LEC) from one of the three Law Schools in the region, the individual is not only a Barrister nor a Solicitor but an Attorney- i.e., he/she is authorized and admitted to practice law in performing both criminal and civil matters on behalf of his/her clients. I stand corrected but it is my understanding that a “solicitor” refers to those English individuals, who are only authorized to under legal research and perform office duties i.e., they may perform all legal services, except appearing in court and/or pleading cases as part of a trial in court. We do not have this division of labour for legal professionals in Dominica where Barristers would depend on Solicitors to provide them with trial files.
Our legal practitioners are properly referred to as Attorneys, Attorneys-at-Law, Lawyers or Legal Counselors as they are authorized to handle both office and courtroom work. The term “Attorney” removes the functional distinction of an individual as exist between a Solicitor and Barrister.
Therefore, Mr. Behanzin has properly moved from a magistrate to an Attorney-at- Law. CONGRATULATIONS Behanzin. May the fireworks begin.
Admin: You are right that in Dominica the terms attorney, attorney-at-Law etc. are properly used to refer to legal practitioners. However, our research has revealed that despite what obtains in the United Kingdom, in Dominica one is admitted to the bar both as a solicitor and a barrister. DNO obtained this information from someone whom we believe to be an authority on the matter.
ADMIN: This is precisely my point. Your note has actually strengthened my argument i.e., in Dominica one is admitted to the bar both as a solicitor and a barrister- not as a Barrister or a Solicitor as your headline read (i note that you have changed it now!). Therefore, we refer to these persons as Attorneys-at Law.
DNO, Thanks for revising the title and contents of the article in line with my intervention. However, there is no need to say “admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court”. The fact remains he was admitted as an attorney-at-law, which refers to the functions of a barrister and solicitor as exists in England. I rest my case.
Haven’t heard of second opinion? You all are laughable.
DNO, You missed the point!!
Dominicans do know whom you are
Our little island is s small my friend
All the best in your profession
lol u are jealous donkey
One takes an oath as a barrister in Dominica.
I can see the dlp shaking in their boots ,I respect this man ,cuz his war is not against marijuana the healing of the nation ,its against the murderers the corruption in government
I concur and would add that he has demonstrated his stance against illegal drug use and dealers also. I pray that he continually endeavor to remain honest and relevant. Networking is good, but I take this opportunity to implore of him, that he abstain from joining that inner circle Club.
You can see DLP shaking in their boots for what?
Good enough news!
Well done. U straight not an eight as some of those twisted lawyers and magistrates.
Congrats to my cuz-in-law!
congratulation. When I need a lawyer I will certainly come to you
annonumous you will be in for a suprise when you try to retain the good lawyer, He has publicly stated that his interest is not in Criminal law and secondly he also has lost his love for D/ca and has no intention of setting up practice in Dominica,Watch that EGO
CONGRATULATIONS MY FRIEND
MR; Behanzin welcome and good luck in your new position. Example that when one door is closed break down another, that`s a Douglas without Ian.
Dominica needs men like you Tiyani.Our society needs tough guys like you. Don’t give up. They can’t keep a good man down.
wish you all the best bro
Welcome to the time of Behanzin and something tells me that Dominica’s legal profession will never be the same again.
I expect you to be a senior counsel in five years.
Now!!!! Knock out the two Judases.
well well lets see how this is going to work out…
WA U MEAN BY DAT? GIVE MR BEHANZIN A BRAKE IN HIS LIFE PLZ.
congrats!
OK….is Behanzin going to put the criminals back on the street? It will be interesting to see the cases that takes up.
ohh shush lawyer. rejoice with us instead. the “ayes” have it
Oh yes. Let’s see how forthright and noble he will be.
Congratulations Tiyani! You are just what Dominican legal profession needs!
Congratulations my brudder.
Don’t change, maintain your principle and don’t sell yourself short for the mighty dollar.
Maintain your integrity my brudder…