Old Friends...in the UK

I am convinced that in every country in the world, if you look hard enough you will find a Jamaican! It was good for me to know that even as I undertook this new path of study there would be people I knew residing in this country and if I looked hard enough I could find them. So it was, that from my NMLS class of 1997 (gosh people we have been in practice for over 10 years!) there are 3 such folk in the UK who have been found and I can call upon them in case of emergency. So here goes! Gail Edwards (Ibekwem) is here... she has been a tower of strength for me since the time I contemplated making this sojourn. She has completed her LLM and is admitted as solicitor in this jurisdiction. Lawson Crawford...I found him just as I was about to leave home, he is in practice here and I can count on him for an inspiring phone call every now and then. They are both in London. Caroline Mah Leung (Fitchett) yes she is here too! During the Easter holidays I met up with her and the family in Birmingham and it was such a blessing to see her and the family. She is now doing her PHD! How many Drs. in the class now? Well, it was good to see them all and it got me thinking... where are some of the our clasmates? A reunion is in order!

Gail, Lawson and I at the Jamaican High Commission in London @ the

'Meeting of Young Minds'

Caroline and Family... Matthew is now 11 years old!

The Employment Tribunal

On Thursday March 20, 2008 on the kind invitation of John Mullen a member of my LLM Class I had the opportunity of attending the Central London Emploment Tribunal and doing the equivalent of a "court attendance" ( for the NMLS grads!) observing the procedures and a case actually being adjudicated. The matter was Jean-Emmanuel Detter v The Ritz Hotel (London) a claim for Unfair Dismissal under the 1996 UK Employment Rights Act. The claimant worked for the hotel and after making some allegations of bullying against a supervisor he eventually went off sick with stress. During the course of the proceedings the HR department I think blundered by assuming that he resigned although all he stated was that he was 'going to resign' in a meeting. A further blunder by them was that after making the assumption, they continued paying him for a further 7 months! Long and short of the case was that the hotel proceeded to stop the payments thereafter. My view was that he never resigned and was thus dismissed at the point when the hotel stopped paying him. The manner in which this was done amounted to unfair dismissal. The Tribunal also agreed, but because Detter was under a duty to mitigate his loss, the amount payable in compensation was minimal.

The reception area at the tribunal

John and I awaiting the Tribunal's Decision

The experience was exhilarating! All the things that I am now learning took on practical significance. Some of the things that stood out were that (a) the Claimant represented himself and did a good job (b) the setup of the Tribunal though quite informal by conventional courtroom standards still used many aspects of legal reasoning and the Chairman was outstanding in marshalling the proceedings (c) the background of the case was well documented by both the respondent and claimant thus evidence was filed and in the possession of the Tribunal which assisted in the timely adjudication of the case.

This has strengthened my resolve to explore in my dissertation the employment dispute resolution mechanism for the enforcement of individual employment rights in Jamaica. ONWARD I GO!

Lifelong friend

This Easter proved to be very poignant for me. I was away from my family who were very missed, but I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream. You see, since my 1st year at high school , at age 11, I have had a penpal from the UK and we have kept in touch over all these years. We weathered the storms of university and early careers graduating from snail mail to email. My being in the UK studying has now provided the perfect opportunity for us to finally meet. Can you imagine it? Excitedly I made my way to Henley-in-Arden on Good Friday. It was like a reunion! I did not feel awkward ....in fact it was like just catching up with an old friend. So meet Penny Jacob...My lifelong friend!

Penny & I at the Bird in Hand Pub (Easter Monday)


She was the consummate hostess. We went to visit the Warwick Castle, did the Shakespeare experience, and for me most amazingly visted her childhood home. It was like all the things we wrote about just came to vivid life. It was wonderful to meet her and her family and to take some time away from the stresses of study. Thanks Penny!

Getting involved...African Caribbean Society @ UEA

Show Finale !

Well, even though the courseworks are upon me, I decided to take some time out and to get involved in one of the many societies activities on campus... African Caribbean Society (ACS). I am also a member of the Netball club, Christian Union and the Law Society. So, the ACS held its first ever Culture Festival on Wednesday March 5, 2008, and being the only authentic Jamaican on campus I wanted to share the real J'can culture...I decided to sing two Bob Marley songs; One Love and No woman no cry. Got the sound tracks and everything and then I saw all the people coming! and the stage lights ...got a bit nervous but you know we had to represent... ended up only being able to do one song because of time constraints. It was well received. Catch the highlights!!

Flower from a stranger

Unbeknown to me the English celebrate Mother's Day today. It was something that I was not prepared for and put me in a strange place. I remember my own Mom who passed on 3 years ago. Has it been so long? She would have been so proud of me being here and studying in the UK as for her 'nothing better than education'. I recall my own children in Jamaica and how I miss them terribly and pray for them every day. With all those thoughts it must have been God who sent a stranger to me in the middle of Harlsden on this sunday morning. While waiting at the cash machine to do a transaction this older gentleman just walked right up to me and enquired whether I was a mother. When I answered in the affirmative he offered me a flower and said 'Happy Mother's Day' and went on his way. It was an unexpected gesture that brought such joy. I am thankful to him and to God, for these little things remind me of how blessed I am. Chivalry is certainly not dead... at least not on Mother's day in England.