by Linda Straker
- 2025 Commonwealth Law Conference was held in Malta
- Ruggles Ferguson KC and Lady Anande Trotman-Joseph were speakers at the conference
- Topics ranged from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to media’s role in a democracy
While there was no representation from the Chambers of the Attorney General in Grenada, there was representation from private law firms at the 2025 Commonwealth Law Conference, which was held in Malta from 6–10 April 2025 under the theme “Commonwealth Lawyers — Fit for the Future.”
Among the speakers were Ruggles Ferguson KC, the immediate past president of the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations, covering the Commonwealth Caribbean and neighbouring Commonwealth countries, and Lady Anande Trotman-Joseph, Chair of the Commonwealth Association of Integrity Commissions and Anti-Corruption Bodies.
The conference featured several sessions that discussed a wide range of topics, from artificial intelligence (AI) to the role of the media in democracy. Some of the topics were:
- AI and Justice — Sprinting towards a vanishing finishing line
- Media Freedom — Is there any such thing now or in the future, and
- Has facilitative mediation lost its way?
The participants also discussed
- Government Lawyers: Guardians of the Rule of Law
- AI in the workplace
- The role of the Privy Council — Is a homegrown final court of appeal necessary to a modern democracy, and
- Judicial Dissent: A Pillar of Democracy
- Data Privacy — Can we harmonise the collection and retention of Data throughout the Commonwealth, and
- International Arbitration: Promoting legitimacy and robustness in a globalised arbitration world
According to the association’s website, an Ignite session was held in partnership with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) entitled “Who Controls the Narrative?”
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), and the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) held a dynamic discussion on advancing Commonwealth commitments under the recently adopted Commonwealth Principles on Freedom of Expression and the Role of the Media in Good Governance (CHOGM 2024).
The session previewed key findings from their forthcoming report, “Who Controls the Narrative? Legal Restrictions on Freedom of Expression in the Commonwealth,” also produced in collaboration with the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA). The report serves as a critical starting point for legal reform, identifying how outdated and punitive laws continue to restrict expression and proposing pathways for aligning national legislation with international human rights standards.
