The Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago is the primary legal advisor to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
Roles and function
The Attorney General is a member of the Government and has two separate constitutional roles, a governmental role, in which he acts as a Member of Government in the performance of his duties, and a role as the guardian of the public interest, when he acts independently in a quasi-judicial capacity.
The provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago require the Attorney General to be responsible for the administration of legal affairs within the country. Legal Proceedings for and against the State must be taken in the name of the Attorney General (in the case of civil proceedings) and in the name of the state (in the case of criminal proceedings).
The Attorney General has responsibility for the following departments:
Wholly Owned EnterprisesAppointment to Quasi Judicial BodiesLaw ReformOffice of the Solicitor GeneralCivil LitigationLegal Advice to the GovernmentOffice of Chief State SolicitorAdministrator GeneralProvisional LiquidatorProvisional ReceiverPublic Trustee/Official ReceiverOffice of Chief Parliamentary CounselLegislative DraftingStatutory Boards and other BodiesCorruption Investigation BureauAnti-Corruption SquadCouncil of Legal EducationEnvironmental CommissionEqual Opportunity CommissionEqual Opportunity TribunalHugh Wooding Law SchoolIndustrial CourtLaw Reform CommissionTax Appeal BoardTrinidad onlyGloster c.1805 H. Fuller c.1828Wylie c.1832 (acting)Edward Jackson, c.1840 (died 1846)Charles William Warner, 1844 to 1867George Garcia, 1870 to 1873 Henry Ludlow, 1874 to 1886 Stephen Herbert Gatty, 1886 to 1889Trinidad united with Tobago, 1889Stephen Herbert Gatty, 1889 to ?1892George Lewis Garcia, 1892 to ?Vincent Brown, 1903 to ? Henry Gollan, 1911 to 1918Robert Stewart Aucher Warner, 1918 to ?1922 Sir Atholl MacGregor, 1926 to 1929Charles Wilton Wood Greenidge c.1930Sir Justin Louis Devaux 1935–1940 Wilcox Wilson c.1945 Joseph Leon Mathieu-Perez, c.1950 to 1957Sir Ellis Clarke, 1957 to 1961 Trinidad and Tobago became independent, 1962George Armsby Richards, 1962 to 1969 Karl Terrence Hudson-Phillips, 1969 to 1973 Benjamin Llewellyn Basil Pitt, 1973 to 1976 Selwyn A. Richardson, 1976 to 1981 Russell Martineau, 1981 to 1986 Selwyn A. Richardson, 1986 to 1989 Anthony Smart, 1989 to 1991 Keith Sobion, 1991 to 1995 Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Nov,1995 to Feb,1996 Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Feb,1996 to Oct,2001 Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Oct,2001 to Dec,2001 Glenda Morean-Phillip, Dec,2001 to Nov,2003 John Jeremie, 2003 to 2007 Bridgid Annisette-George, 2007 to 2009 John Jeremie, May, 2009 to 2010 Anand Ramlogan, 2010 to 2015 Garvin Nicholas, February 3, 2015 to September 9, 2015 Faris Al-Rawi, September 9, 2015 to Present-pnm