Justice Richard Williams, a judge of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, has been elected as president of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association (CMJA).
The move was made at the general assembly of the 20th Triennial Conference held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 21 to 26 September.
Judicial officers from more than 47 Commonwealth countries were in attendance, a press release from the Cayman Islands Law Courts said on 29 September.
Justice Williams will serve as the president of the CMJA for three years, succeeding Justice Lynne Leitch from Canada.
Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale said Williams’ appointment is “welcome recognition of his work with the CMJA over his many years of service”.
He has been a member since 2006 and has, from that date, served as both member and as vice president, representing the Caribbean region on the governing council.
Justice Williams began his Caribbean career as a senior magistrate, vice and acting president of the Family Court and Coroner for St Vincent and the Grenadines, between 2001 and 2002.
He moved to the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2002 where he sat as a resident magistrate and chief magistrate before being appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in 2008.
Justice Williams was then appointed a judge of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands in 2011.
Accepting his new appointment, he acknowledged the trust placed in him by the association in which he has served for the last 19 years.
He said he was “truly and deeply honoured to be appointed president at a time such as this, being fully aware of those who have gone before, and the work done in the past to build and maintain this esteemed association.”
Cayman’s late Justice Kipling Douglas was appointed president in 1994, having also served on the council as member and vice president representing the Caribbean.
Established in 1970, the CMJA promotes judicial independence, advances legal education and access to justice, supports awareness of international law, and shares information on legal processes across the Commonwealth.
