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Education Council
Caribbean L 16 ife, FEB. 26-MAR. 4, 2021
Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix
heads Caribbean American
Lawyers Association
By Nelson A. King
In July 2020, prominent
Caribbean American Justice
Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix
was elected president of the
newly-formed, Brooklynbased
Caribbean American
Lawyers Association
(CALA).
Barbadian-born Justice
Hinds-Radix, who serves as
an Associate Justice of the
New York State Appellate
Division, Second Department,
told Caribbean Life
that CALA was formed
after she was contacted by
a few Caribbean attorneys
who wanted to see a bar
association that reflected the Caribbean
Diaspora.
Justice Hinds-Radix, a former administrative
Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix. Jovia Radix, Esq.
judge for Civil Matters in the
Second Judicial District, said CALA’s vice
president, Yvette Hinds-Wills, specifically
reached out to her, “because she had this
burning desire to form such a bar association.
“Collectively, they believed it was timely
and necessary, both in the legal profession
and in the community as a whole,” Justice
Hinds-Radix said.
Similar to other bar associations, she
said CALA intends to serve the community
by providing legal information;
mentorship of young attorneys and those
who want to become attorneys; conducting
courses informing people of their
individual rights.
“The association intends to continue
the growth and promotion of the law,
within the Caribbean community, to get
young people the necessary exposure
early on to understand how they can
become lawyers, judges and community
leaders,” Justice Hinds-Radix said.
She said this can be accomplished by
“going into schools on career days, working
with churches and other community
organizations to provide information on
the issues that impact our community
the most, such as immigration, housing,
elder abuse, etc.”
Justice Hinds-Radix said CALA’s longterm
goals include having “seasoned
mentors who can guide young attorneys
to ensure that they are fully familiar with
their ethical responsibilities.
“This is extremely important during
these times,” she said. “Young attorneys
need to understand that they are held to a
higher standard ethically; and, if they go
afoul, they must have the resources and
the knowledge necessary, so they do not
lose their licenses to practice law.”
In addition, Justice Hinds-Radix said
the formation of CALA is “a great opportunity
to make the legal community
familiar with the lawyers and judges, of
Caribbean descent, who live, work and
practice in the community.”
She said CALA’s officers, board of
directors and members hail from various
islands within the Diaspora, including
Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica,
Haiti, Guyana, Dominica and Puerto Rico,
among others.
Besides Justice Hinds-Radix and Hinds-
Wills, Esq., other elected officials are:
Michelle DeSouza-Forte, Esq. (2nd vice
president); Carmelle Robillard, Esq. (treasurer);
and Valerie I. Howell, Esq. (corresponding
secretary).
The Board of Directors comprise:
Natoya McGhie, Esq., president of the
Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association; Rudyard
Whyte, Esq.; Sonia Blake, Esq.; Jade
Edwards, Esq.; Dale Fong-Frederick, Esq.;
and Justice Hinds-Radix’s daughter, Jovia
Radix, Esq.
Other Board of Directors are: Judges
Wavny Toussaint, Ruth Shillingford,
Alvin Yearwood, Machelle Sweeting and
Michele Rodney.
Justice Hinds-Radix said interacting
with children and young adults is a great
passion, which she incorporates with her
love of the law by being a mentor and
advisor to those who seek a career in the
legal profession.
Justice Hinds-Radix, a graduate of
Howard University School of Law in
Washington, D.C., said that, every year,
she participates in career day programs at
several schools, where she educates young
people on a career in law and the function
of the judiciary.
In her role as administrative judge, she
said she developed a summer internship
program for law students, where over 120
students, annually, were able to participate
in workshops and visit other courts
to observe to learn the role of each court.
Black History Month
schools.nyc.gov/elections2021
EDUCATION COUNCILS
Department of
Education
link
/elections2021
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