On Thursday 27 August 2020, the CAJO successfully convened the first Registrars’ Roundtable which saw over twenty-five regional Registrars (including Deputy and Assistant Registrars) gather to discuss key issues which they had been facing in their respective jurisdictions. The Roundtable was designed to include two key sessions. 

The first, Preparing the Registry for the New Normal, provided an opportunity for Registrars to share and explore what strategies different courts have adopted to deal with limited or no in-person filings and work arrangements, provide insights into how court users have responded to relevant changes and what more must be done to enable remote use of services, share what training/protocols have been provided for staff and court users, and what training/protocols are needed, and determine which Courts/personnel are positioned to provide training. 

The second session, Recognition: Building Staff Morale, included a summary of the findings of the CAJO’s Report “Assessing Responses to Caribbean Judiciary Staff” shared by CAJO Chairman Justice Peter Jamadar and its Research and Programme Coordinator, Elron Elahie. The session also gave Registrars the opportunity to explore what can be done to improve and promote staff morale and to interrogate the development of robust recognition schemes. 

Before ending the Roundtable, it was agreed that a communication channel via WhatsApp will be created so that regional Registrars can communicate, in real time and with ease, on any issues which they may face. A report on the proceedings of the Webinar was prepared by the Registrar of the CCJ and submitted to the CAJO.