August 10, 2009 | By Kaieteur News
New Amsterdam, Berbice- A United States based Guyanese was recently admitted to the Bar.
He is Curtis Ryan Crawford, a 36-year old of Alness Village on the Corentyne, who was sworn in on July 31 before Justice Franklyn Holder at the Berbice High Court.
Mr. Crawford’s aspiration led him to the Touro Law School in Long Island New York where he graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree in law in 2004.
He sat the New York State Bar Examinations in 2005 and was successful. The Alness Village resident is licensed to practice law in the Civil and Federal Courts in the State of New York and has been in private practice there since graduating from law school.
During 2004 he also worked as intern with the Queens County District Attorney.
His parents, Lilian Crawford and Senior Counsel Marcel C. Crawford encouraged him to enroll at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad in 2008 where he successfully completed the Six-Month Transitional Programme.
In April this year, he was licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Mr. Crawford indicated that he intends to maintain his New York practice as well as associate with his father’s practice in Berbice.
A number of reasons led to his return to serve Guyana.
“My father would eventually retire and I would take over his practice. When I practiced in New York I was interviewing clients and associated with my father instead of clients coming to Guyana so I was more like the middle man. That’s why it’s imperative that I maintain that practice back in New York so that the work can be done in both New York and Guyana with minimum ease,” the newly admitted attorney said.
Within a few weeks, Mr. Crawford is expected to return to New York where he would start a partnership with a colleague.
“I would be back and forth between Guyana and New York.”
Mr. Crawford’s early education began at the St. Marks Anglican Primary School at Alness Village on the Corentyne.
He then earned a place at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School after writing the Common Entrance Examination and subsequently the Corentyne High School at Bush Lot from 1986 to 1988.
At the completion of his secondary education, he moved on to the Hunter College of the City University in New York City in 1993.
It was from there that Ryan Crawford graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science in 1997.
Mr. Crawford reflected that it was not all smooth sailing, since there were some issues to contend with but despite that he completed his mission like he was expected to.
“I was supposed to go to the (United) States to study and return after completing my Bachelor’s Degree, but then it got to the point where I was unhappy with what was happening in Guyana – the progression and growth so I decided to stay. I worked, went back to school, and later graduated from Law School. So graduating from Hugh Wooding Law School is a complete circle – that is what I was supposed to do in the first instance.”
Crawford has a special interest in reading and traveling. According to the distinguished gentleman, he followed in the footsteps of his paternal great grandfather, his grandfather, and his father in the horse racing business. This inclination and family hobby date back to 1929.
Senior Counsel Marcel Crawford founded the Alness Race Club which is today called the Ryan H. Crawford (his father) Memorial Turf Club.
Curtis Ryan Crawford is the second of two children.
He has been married for the past eight years to Theresa Crawford and together they produced seven-year old Malia and Savion who is five years old.