Social activist and paralegal Winston Clarke has slapped the Barbados Bar Association (BBA) and its president, Larry Smith, with a $500 000 lawsuit, accusing them of defamation and an abuse of power after he was publicly named as an unauthorised legal practitioner.
Clarke filed his claim in the Supreme Court earlier this month, and the complaint was officially served on the BBA at its Perry Gap, Roebuck Street offices last Thursday.
The legal firestorm stems from a public notice published in the Sunday Sun on May 10. In the advertisement, the BBA –acting under Smith’s presidency – named Clarke alongside two other individuals, stating they were not on the Roll of Attorneys and were “not authorised to provide legal services”.
At the time, the BBA said the notice was prompted by complaints about individuals unlawfully practising law.
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