TNAG-0594-FCO40-740-Staffing-in-the-Dependent-Territories-in-the-1980s-1977 — Page 55

QUO FATA FERI

Telephone 2-2587

Deputy Governor's Office

Hamilton 5-24. Bermuda

29),

DGO 14/3/9

J A B Stewart Esq, OBE

Hong Kong and General Department Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Dear Stewart,

15 August, 1977

haus Conegung

JUDICIAL AND LEGAL STAFFING OF THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES IN THE 1980s

Jals

RECEIVER "y

REC S

15 AUG 1977

26

HKA 43117

I was most interested by your letter of 8 August on this subject.

2. As it enjoined me to accept the validity of your assumption that Bermuda will be independent by 1980 I have refrained from consulting anyone here about it. I am nevertheless venturing a few personal comments in case you turn out to have been rather premature.

3. Everything you say about the availability of suitable candidates for appointment to other territories' Courts of Appeal should certainly apply to Bermuda. So we can ignore the need for further Justices of Appeal despite the fact that several will have to be found.

4. As to our Judiciary and Law Officers, there will be increasing pressure to Bermudianise no matter whether independence comes. On the other hand, all the really competent local lawyers (of whom there are already plenty) can at present make so much money in private practice here that few of them will be tempted by offers of positions, however sening in the Public Service. One or two expatriates may thus have to be sought during the next decade. Were Hong Kong still willing to second any, that would be the obvious source of them; but Bermuda has such obvious attractions that I expect they could anyway be found from somewhere without too much difficulty.

In short, even if you have assumed more than you perhaps should have done it probably does not matter. Our needs seem unlikely to present you with much of a problem.

5.

Yours ever. Peter Lloyd

G P Lloyd Acting Governor

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