In an event held virtually this morning, the Organization of the Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA) presented its esteemed 2024 award to Dominican attorney, Cilma Dupigny. The OCCBA Awards, which are presented bi-annually, are a high-profile event in the legal community, recognizing individuals and organizations for their substantial contributions to the legal profession.
Ms. Dupigny, a well-known Dominica attorney, is the first Dominican to receive this award. The Roseau-based lawyer has been a practicing lawyer for over six decades. She is one of the longest-serving legal practitioners in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and is considered among the most experienced in the entire Caribbean. Her significant contributions to the Caribbean commercial and intellectual property law sector have earned her a strong reputation.
Beyond her legal career, Ms. Dupigny served as the Honorary Consul for the Kingdom of Belgium in Dominica for 32 years. Her service was acknowledged by the King of Belgium, who awarded her the medal of “Officer in the Order of the Crown”. This honor is bestowed for services rendered to the Belgian state, particularly for meritorious service in public employment, as well as for distinguished artistic, literary, or scientific achievements, or for commercial or industrial services in Belgium or Africa.
Ms. Dupigny’s dedication and service have left a lasting impact on the legal landscape in Dominica and beyond.
The OCCBA award was also presented to Sir Davis Simmonds, a former Chief Justice of Barbados and Queen’s Counsel for over forty years.
The OCCBA, an organization of the Bar Associations in the Commonwealth Caribbean and neighboring Commonwealth countries, is the successor of the West Indies Bar Association established in 1957. It is governed by a Council, with each bar association having two members.
The organization is committed to issues of human rights, justice, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, the improvement of the administration of justice, legal education, the study of jurisprudence, legal literature and law reporting, and the establishment of legal aid.
OCCBA aims to engage all regional bar and law associations and attorneys, maintain a close relationship with other regional and international organizations, and the OECS bar. It also strives to provide services and programs that improve professional development, the quality of the bar, the administration of justice, and access to legal services.
I’m related to her…
Congratulations Ms. Dupigny.
Congratulations to Ms. Dupigny! Well deserved.
Such a prestigious award has placed Dominica in the history books and the international arena. Women practising law especially in Dominica should be immensely proud of your achievements and benefit from your experience and hard work.
C
ongratulations Miss Dupigny. Well deserved.
The same King of Belgium whose predecessor, Leopold II, decimated the lives of some 20 million blacks in the Congo via brutalities that would make Hitler blush. And she takes a medal from that scamp?? Do we Dominicans have any dignity and sense of shame left?