OUR TOOTHLESS JAMAICAN LAWS .. and our unethical lawyers! Lois Grant Hits Hard Again!

Lois Grant is SpotOn Again!

Mrs. Lois Grant - Communication Consultant

“We have to tek back our country. We can't afford to mek criminals come take over and run us out of our community. This is our Cherry Gardens. This is our Beverly Hills and we have nowhere else to go..Thugs have moved into our community with the opening of a recording studio and we will go down fighting to save our investment”. 

These were the comments from a group of community leaders from St Andrew Park.in Kingston, who recently fought and won their own case, without the help of lawyers. But it took them years to have the situation rectified when all along the laws were clearly there specifying that there should be no commercial business or building set up in what was clearly designated a residential area.

Years… because they were shifted from one government agency to the next with each giving an excuse that the matter did not fall under their jurisdiction. Years because they had lawyers who were defending the known thugs.

And so it is in Jamaica whereby the law can be manipulated to suit the situation and where anything can be accomplished based on your contacts and “who knows who”, or better who can “let off something”.

.Recently a retired educator told me the story of her student who labeled the whole manipulation of the law as  “Contacrosy”.. 

In Jamaica, once you have contacts you can do anything. Look around at the number of high-rise buildings going up through Kingston - many have not been approved… but who’s looking..” Just ‘let off something”.

I have said openly and unapologetically that I have very little respect for most lawyers..In fact, I have little respect for the profession generally. I sent my daughter to the UK to study Law. But looking back  I give thanks for the day she withdrew from the studies for criminal law  as she said her Christian upbringing could not allow her to follow that path though she was at the top of her class in her performance.

I have known and worked with several lawyers over the years …most of whom are now at the top of their profession as KCs.

They have no qualms about taking money from a client and then turn around later and take money from another client who brings a case against their former client fully well knowing that this could present a conflict of interest which creates a monumental breach of ethics. But who cares, as long as the money is good there is no conflict of interest for them. 

The evidence will be there..the emails, the various documents and they will blame it on ‘forgetry’ ..that after collecting a fortune from both business partners.  Which lawyer ever forgets about the fees they have collected especially if it was a hefty sum .which it usually is?

And where is the moral compass when you knowingly take the case because of your long and lasting friendship with the party that has hired you? Worse that the party also knows the law and is a lawyer with years of experience.

Corruption in this country comes in all forms . It's all about ‘contactcrosy” or your ability to cover up under the guise of ‘forgetry”

But the truth will out..It always does. Jamaica is a small place and there are no secrets.

Editor's Note:

Ms Lois Grant - JP, MA, BA.(Hons) Dip Mass Comm, Cert. Broadcast Journalism BBC-London. Lois Grant's involvement in the communications and creative industry began in the newsroom at the now-defunct Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) . She then went on to head the Public Relations unit, at the now-defunct Grimax Advertising. From there, Grant went into partnership with the creation of the Promotions/Production agency.. Innercity Promotions. Innercity was responsible for the creation of the live dance hall series of concerts at the Harbour View and New Kingston Drive-in cinemas... the firsts in the history of entertainment in Jamaica. At the start of the '90s Grant formed her own agency under the banner, Corporate Image Communications and Productions. She stood out as a trailblazer in developing several innovative events as well as programmes for corporate brands such as Tastee Limited, Jamaica National Building Society, City of Kingston Cooperative Credit Union, and various government agencies. Looking back Grant notes that she has played her role in changing the political landscape of three Caribbean islands, including Jamaica. Her last assignment before taking early retirement, saw her as the Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister of Jamaica from 2007 - early 2013.