On the 9th July I began my 3-week internship at the Antiguan Ministry of Legal Affairs. Working under the DPP’s office, with the intention of attending court and completing legal research when tasked to do so, I thoroughly anticipated the next few weeks ahead.
The day prior, I met with the Attorney-General, Sir Steadroy ‘Cutie’ Benjamin to discuss my current education level and achievements, as well as my future aspirations. I was then instructed to wait for the Parliament Secretary (PS) to officially station me within the office.
Something both myself and my mother noticed, was the general welcoming and positive attitude shared amongst all the staff and general public alike. Greeting complete strangers with phrases such as, ‘Morning’ or ‘Good day’ every time someone walked past, took me by surprise; compared to the relatively more hostile atmosphere witnessed back at home, where a mere grin is posited as the epitome of good manners.
Grand experience starts
Arriving at 8:00am the next morning as instructed by the PS, I was expecting a relatively busy day, consisting of going to court and researching. However, I was not met with such a day. After briefly meeting with the DPP to discuss my next few weeks here, I was sent to a small office where I sat for what would be the next 4 hours. Although this was rather tedious, I was thoroughly made comfortable by staff and other interns, who all shared insights into their current profession and future goals, all whilst making me laugh. Eventually after the DPP returned from court, I met with her again to be assigned to one of the Crown Counsels. During introductions we both agreed upon our shared dislike of Public Law, as well as discussing our education experiences in the UK. She then gave me an Appeal case to read over, in preparation for some legal research the next day.
Heading home with a case in my bag, I suddenly felt very professional; an insight as to what my future may possibly look like.
On the 10th July, after having read over the appeal case and handing it back to the Attorney, I was introduced to two other interns as we prepared to go to court. One of the interns was writing a case summary about an insane (though not medically diagnosed) murderer, going around Antigua and killing ‘vagrants’, before sucking their blood, apparently instructed to do so by the ‘voices in his head’. Hearing this astounded me; it definitely felt like I was in a horror film! As we continued laughing both in humour and shock at the accused’s statements, time was treading on, and it was time to attend court.
