Barbados has lost one of its keenest legal minds with the passing of Justice of Appeal, Jefferson Cumberbatch.
He was the mainstay of the Faculty of Law, Cave Hill Campus, for many years, and as a lecturer, he had a hand in influencing generations of lawyers who passed through his many classes.
In fact, since the news of his death broke, I have received many messages from former students from all over the world expressing their deep sadness at his passing, and more than a few of them were from colleague Attorneys General in the region.
I count myself fortunate to have been his student while I was in the Law Faculty, and in later years, I was pleased to have had Jeff work with me on various legal consultancies.
His subsequent ascension to the Court of Appeal bench was hailed by many a member of the Bar, since we all welcomed the addition of his skill sets, honed in academia, to the Court of Appeal; Justice Cumberbatch did not disappoint.
The field of law will be much the poorer for this untimely and devastating loss, and on behalf of the public bar and the office of the Attorney General, I extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Attorney General and Minister Of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall