Caribbean Judge the Hon Dame Janice M. Pereira sits with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) was delighted to welcome the Hon Dame Janice M. Pereira to London this morning, as the former Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court prepared to take part in a week of case hearings in the JCPC.

Dame Janice was invited to sit with the JCPC by Lord Reed, and this was made possible by the gracious decision of His Majesty The King to appoint Dame Janice to the Privy Council in August.

Dame Janice is a distinguished judge who has recently retired from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, where she was the first female Chief Justice. In May 2013 she was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Born in the British Virgin Islands, Dame Janice attended the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus where she received her LLB (honours), and was called to the Bar in 1981. On 26th March 2018 Dame Janice was called to the Bench as an Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, and was later a High Court judge, before being appointed as a Justice of Appeal in 2009.

Welcoming Dame Janice to her first appeal hearing at the JCPC on Monday, Lord Hodge said:

“It is a matter of celebration that the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has revived the practice of having among its membership a distinguished judge from one of its jurisdictions. The Board warmly welcomes Dame Janice as one of our number and looks forward to working with her this week and in the future.”

The appeals which Dame Janice will hear this week 9-13th December 2024 (with other Justices) can be found on the JCPC website. Members of the public are welcome to watch proceedings in court or livestreamed on the website.