The courtroom was filled to capacity by lawyers who gathered at the High Court in Roseau for the special sitting to pay tribute to attorney-at-law, Kevin Williams, who had died in January, this year, in England.
Some even broke down in tears as they paid tribute to “their fallen comrade” who they all described as an “honest individual” who knew the law.
Among those paying tribute to the late Kevin Williams were his uncle, professor Randolph Williams, president of the Dominica Bar Association, Heather Felix-Evans, Joelle Harris, Bernard Wiltshire, Julian Prevost, Stephen Isidore, Anthony Commodore, Ronald Charles, Duncan Stowe, Laurina Vidal-Telemacque, Chief Magistrate Candia Carette George, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Evelina Baptiste, Cara Shillingford, Dawn Yearwood Stewart, Henry Dyer, Peter Alleyne and his wife, Singoalla Blomqvist-Williams.
“Dependable, witty, hardworking, dedicated, honest” are just some of the adjectives used to describe Kevin Williams.
“He was dependable and reliable. He knew the law. He was the law, and he lived the law. I was even more convinced of his love for the law in his later years when he was faced with health challenges. He was sharp and selfless and always responded with alacrity. I visited him sometime last year, shortly after an operation in London. We had an interesting exchange. He disguised his suffering and gave me an update of everything I had missed in Dominica during the week that I was out,” Duncan Stowe remarked as he paused to wipe away tears.
“My Ladies, if I may say, the legal profession is poorer due to departure of this fallen soldier,” Stowe continued. “I shed a tear for my brother’s departure. I shed a tear for the loss of a genuine soul. I shed a tear because one of my walking dictionaries on the law has left…he was someone whom I considered to be true, genuine and a friend. My ladies, I say true, genuine and friend in the literal sense of those words.”
Williams’ wife, Singoalla Blomqvist-Williams, tried hard to hold back the tears as she listened to the many tributes. In her address to the court, she described her late husband as a true, honest and hardworking advocate of the law.
Justice Wynante Adrien-Roberts and Birnie Stephenson, who presided over the proceedings, also described their interactions with the late Williams and concluded that he was a very humble and hardworking individual who was always on top of the law.
A moment of silence was also observed in open court and the court ordered that the full transcript of the proceedings be certified by the registrar and sent to his widow.
May he rest in peace my sympathy to his family his wife was a very close friend of mine.