Twenty-four-year-old Ariana Girisha Ramdharie was admitted to the Guyana Bar on Friday after graduating third among more than 200 students at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago.
Ramdharie, of Canal, West Bank Demerara, was one of three graduates awarded the Legal Education Certificate of Merit, the institution’s highest academic distinction.
Attorneys-at-law Siand Dhurjon and Kamal Ramkarran presented her petition before Justice Nicola Pierre, who granted her admission to practise.
A former Queen’s College student, Ramdharie obtained 11 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations in 2019. She subsequently earned Grade Ones in Communication Studies and both units of Law at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations in 2021.
She graduated from the University of Guyana in 2024 with a Bachelor of Laws degree and a grade point average of 3.9, placing second among the graduating law students.
Her awards included the Head of the University of Guyana Law Department Prize for the second-best graduating law student and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers Book Award for the best graduating female student. She was also named to the Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s List in 2023 and 2024.
Addressing the court, Ramdharie spoke of uncertainty, self-doubt and financial challenges during her studies. She acknowledged the sacrifices and support of her parents, sister, grandparents, other relatives, teachers, mentors and friends.
“Law is a profession built on trust. Clients trust us with their problems, their livelihoods, their families and sometimes with the most difficult moments of their lives,” she said.
She pledged to uphold the profession’s ethical standards and serve her clients diligently, remaining mindful that “behind every file is a person who deserves to be heard and represented with care.”
Ramdharie has joined Dhurjon Chambers Attorneys-at-Law and has interests in civil law, land law and other areas of practice.
In presenting her petition, Dhurjon said she showed considerable promise and had already demonstrated her abilities in judicial review and constitutional law. He expressed confidence that she would contribute to the administration of justice and the legal profession.
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