MONTEGO BAY, St James – Newly minted president of the Cornwall Bar Association (CBA), attorney-at-law Michael Hemmings, is to make webinars a priority during his tenure as a part of efforts to provide members of the association with necessary information to keep their business ahead of the game.

“For the Cornwall Bar Association, we intend to implement webinars as a part of our continuing legal education for members of the bar. Presently, it is conducted by the General Legal Council and the Jamaica Bar Association,” Hemmings told the Jamaica Observer West.

He believes that the western region boasts a host of well-rounded lawyers who are more than capable of conducting these webinars.

“It is my first belief that the western region can conduct these webinars as well, and we have great attorneys here who can become presenters, that is one plan that I have for the bar.”

The Cornwall Bar Association serves attorneys-at-law practising in the five parishes located in the county of Cornwall — St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, Trelawny and St Elizabeth.

A graduate of the Norman Manley Law School, Hemmings added that as president of the association, he also intends to increase a scholarship being offered by the Cornwall Bar Association to a two Norman Manley Law School students in the western region.

Hemmings, an attorney for some five years, has also vowed to address the concerns of his colleagues and fellow attorneys-at-law, while being “a proactive and transparent leader.”

He replaces attorney-at-law Lambert Johnson, who served on the Cornwall Bar Association for a two-year term.

“There are certain concerns that I also wish to address, concerns that are in the public domain, concerns that have been raised by members of the Bar. Recently, there are talks about eliminating jury trials and we wish to address those concerns at the appropriate setting, to outline the adverse effects of say, if that should be done and generally, any issues that my colleagues of the Bar may have, I am here to address them and to be a proactive and transparent leader,” said Hemmings.

At age 31, Hemmings is the youngest ever president of the Cornwall Bar Association. This, he told the Observer West, is an honour.

“First, I would like to thank my colleagues at the Bar [CBA] for having the confidence in me and having elected me, the youngest ever president of the Cornwall Bar Association. I feel truly honoured to be in this position and I will do my best to ensure that I represent the Bar [CBA] to the best of my ability,” said Hemmings, a past student of the Montego Bay-based Cornwall College.

Immediate past president of the CBA, attorney Lambert Johnson, in congratulating Hemmings on his appointment as president, noting that “with a very strong counsel combined with his youthful leadership, the Cornwall Bar [Association] shall be going places.”

Hemmings was elected president of the association on June 19 at the CBA’s annual general meeting held in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.