Appeal court judge retires from Cayman bench
(CNS): Justice Elliott Mottley has ended his time on the bench of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal after nine years of helping to create legal precedent in Grand Court cases, having sat on over 80 appeals dealing with almost every facet of Cayman law. Local legal heavyweights paid tribute to him last week, as Mottley was here for the spring session of the appeal court.
Chief Justice Anthony Smellie said his legacy will be one of regional service that “only a very few lawyers and judges can claim”, adding that law books are enriched by his judgments.
President of the local appeal court, Sir John Chadwick, said that in the years during which he sat with Justice Mottley, he had never failed to accept an invitation to attend a session of the Court of Appeal. He pointed to Justice Mottley’s love of the law, the wisdom and soundness of his judgments due to his “unparalleled experience” in regional courts. “He will be a great loss to this court,” Sir John said.
Called to the bar of England and Wales at Middle Temple in November 1961, Justice Mottley was later called to the bar in Barbados, where he established a private practice. He served for seven years as MP in Bridgetown. In 1980 he was appointed QC before being appointed to the post of attorney general of Bermuda, which he held until 1998.
Justice Mottley’s first judicial appointment was to the Court of Appeal of Belize, then an appointment to the Court of Appeal of the TCI, where he will continue to sit. In 2006 he joined the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal while sitting as President of the Court of Appeal of Belize.
(L-R) Chief Justice Smellie, Amor Mottley (wife of Justice Mottley), Sir John Chadwick (President of the Court of Appeal), Justice Mottley, Stewart Mottley and Barrister Colin McKie
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