SENIOR COUNSEL
Mr. Ronnie Bissessar S.C. is an Attorney- at- Law in private practice and is the Head of Chambers of Lawgivers. He is also a Mediator (Civil Non-Family Matters) certified by the Mediation Board of Trinidad and Tobago and the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and has served as Arbitrator. Mr. Bissessar was appointed Senior Counsel on 08th May 2023.
Mr. Bissessar is the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Heart Foundation and a Director of the InterAmerican Heart Foundation (based in Texas, USA) and the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (based in Barbados). He is a former Vice President of the Assembly of Southern Lawyers and Past President of the Rotary Club of San Fernando South and has received a Paul Harris Fellow which is Rotary’s highest honour. Mr. Bissessar has served in numerous leadership capacities in respect of non-governmental organisations, charities and philanthropic groups.
Mr. Bissessar is a Senior Ordinary Member of the Council of the Law Association and a former Chairman of the Caribbean Corporate Governance Institute which is a non-profit foundation whose principal objective is to encourage corporate governance best practices regionally; Mr. Bissessar is co-founder of the Trinidad and Tobago Legal Network which promotes and provides continuing legal education to members of the legal profession. Mr. Bissessar is also the Deputy Chairman of the University of the West Indies Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF) and has been appointed as one of six(6) global advocates by the World Heart Federation (WHF) in relation to Heart Health.
Mr. Bissessar has presented on various aspects of Corporate Governance and Business Law at the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business and was a Lecturer in Corporate Practice and Procedure at the Hugh Wooding Law School. Mr. Bissessar has presented scholarly papers on Corporate Governance for the Barbados Law Association and the Barbados Stock Exchange. Mr. Bissessar is also an External Examiner of the University of the West Indies.
Mr. Bissessar is a Barrister at Law with a commercial and public law practice and he has represented the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in contentious proceedings involving the CARICOM Commission at the Caribbean Court of Justice. He practices extensively as Counsel in heavily litigious claims in public and administrative law, constitutional proceedings, company law, defamation claims, trade and industrial disputes and land law.
Mr. Bissessar and Lawgivers has and continues to serve as external Corporate Secretary and Legal Advisor for several State Enterprises and special purpose State companies and has presented seminars on behalf of Corporation Sole to newly appointed Chairs and Directors of State Enterprises.
In 1985 Mr. Bissessar was awarded the Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the University of the West Indies and in 1988 was awarded an LLB from the University of London. In 1993 he received the Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School.
Varin joined Lawgivers (formerly The Law Chambers of Ronnie Bissessar) as a Pupil in January 2013. Following the successful completion of his attachment, Varin was Admitted to Practice in July 2013 and formally joined Lawgivers as an Associate.
Varin is presently a Senior Associate at Lawgivers and has appeared with and instructed Senior and Junior Counsel in various fora including the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Industrial Court and the Equal Opportunities Tribunal. Varin has also assisted Counsel in the preparation of appeals from our local Court of Appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
Varin, since joining Lawgivers, has gained invaluable experience in several areas of civil law, at all levels and has an appreciation for the rudiments of proper court etiquette and advocacy in practice and procedure.
Varin is a member of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago and the Assembly of Southern Lawyers.
Saskia graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of London. She went on to read for and graduated with a Legal Practice Certificate (Distinction) from Staffordshire University where she and her teammate placed first at the finals of Staffordshire University’s Mooting Competition. Saskia was also awarded the prize for Top Performer in Employment Law from Staffordshire University.
Saskia joined Lawgivers in 2015 as a pupil and was called to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago in April 2016. Saskia was appointed Associate Attorney at Law at Lawgivers in May 2016 and is Lawgivers’ second most senior Associate Attorney at Law.
Saskia has gained vast knowledge in all different areas of practice since her admission and has particular interest in, among other things, employment law, as well as experience in matrimonial and family law.
Saskia is also a member of The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago and the Assembly of Southern Lawyers.
Kezia, an alumnus of the Institute of Law and Academic Studies (I.L.A.S.) graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree with Honours from the University of London in 2016. As a student, Kezia was awarded the prize for Most Outstanding Advocate in the I.L.A.S. Annual Criminal Mooting Competition.
In 2018 Kezia went on to read for and graduated with a Master of Science in Law, Business and Management degree with Distinction which included the successful completion of the Legal Practice Course at The University of Law in the United Kingdom.
During her time in the United Kingdom, Kezia participated in the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) National Student Negotiation Competition and was involved with a pro bono initiative, the Schools Consent Project.
Kezia began her In-Service Training with Lawgivers in September 2018 and was called to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago in May 2019 and she has been employed with Lawgivers as an Associate Attorney at Law since her admission. She is a member of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago and the Assembly of Southern Lawyers.
A St. Joseph’s Convent Alumni, Kristal graduated as a Dean’s List Honouree from the University of the West Indies in 2021 with a Bachelor of Laws degree with Upper Second Class Honours.
Kristal went on to read for, and graduated with, a Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School. During her tenure at Law School, she was a member of the winning team at the Hamel Smith Appellate Moot Competition, the HWLS Gavel Committee and the executive of the Student Representative Council after being elected the Publications Committee Chairperson/Public Relations Officer.
Kristal first joined the Lawgivers family as an intern in October 2021 and, following the successful completion of her pupillage, has been employed as an Associate Attorney at Law at Lawgivers since her admission to the Trinidad and Tobago Bar in November 2021. Since then, she has been actively involved in the civil litigation process and has been exposed to several areas of law including contract, probate, employment and company law.
She is a member of both the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago and the Assembly of Southern Lawyers.
Jovan was awarded a Bachelor of Laws degree with Honours from the University of London in 2019, following which she read for and was awarded the Legal Practice Certificate (with Distinction) from De Montfort University, Leicester in 2021. She also received the Leicester De Montfort Law School prize for outstanding academic performance in Business Law and Practice for 2020/2021.
In September 2021, Jovan began her In-Service Training with Lawgivers and was called to the Bar of Trinidad and Tobago in May 2022. She is a Door Tenant of Lawgivers and currently works alongside the Lawgivers Team in select corporate and commercial matters.
Prior to becoming an Attorney-at-Law, Jovan worked for over a decade as a finance and strategy professional and developed expertise in the areas of Financial Advisory Services, Investment Management, Strategic Planning, Procurement Management and Project Management. For several years, Jovan held a senior executive position at the country’s largest mutual fund company, following which she became a successful entrepreneur alongside her husband.
Jovan is a National Open Scholar and Fulbright Scholar who, in 2001, graduated from Oxford University (Balliol College) with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Economics and Management and in 2006, was awarded a Master’s degree in Business Administration (General Management) from the University of California, Berkeley – Haas School of Business.
Our Administrative Staff are the faces and voices of Lawgivers and are diligent, responsible and friendly. When you call or visit Lawgivers you will be greeted by any one of these individuals:
L to R: Tashmattie Ragoonanan (Personal Assistant), André Vialva (Personal Assistant) and Sindy Ann Harry (Manager).
