Dia Forrester appointed Grenada’s first woman Attorney General

by Linda Straker

• Dia C Forrester is Attorney General of Grenada as of 31 December 2020
• Replaces Darshan Ramdhani who served from January 2019 to 30 December 2020
• First woman to be appointed to post since first attorney general was appointed in 1763

21 months after she was appointed Grenada’s Solicitor General, Dia C Forrester has been appointed the Attorney General of Grenada and becomes the lead legal advisor to the Cabinet as of 31 December 2020.

She is the first woman to be appointed to the post since the first attorney general was appointed in 1763 when Grenada became a British Colony. She replaces Darshan Ramdhani who served in the post from January 2019 to 30 December 2020, and is moving back into private practice. Ramdhani is scheduled to commence a short period as a judge in the British Virgin Islands, the second time serving as a judge in the region.

Forrester has more than 11 years of experience as an attorney-at-law with working experience in Grenada since crossing the bar in 2008 and also in the OECS territories of St Kitts and Nevis, and Anguilla where she was accepted to be a member of the bar in these islands in 2013. Her areas of practice include Banking and Finance Law, Commercial and Civil Litigation, Taxation, Insolvency and Intellectual Property law. Forrester holds a Master of Laws degree in International Banking and Finance Law from University College London, a Legal Education Certificate of Merit from the Hugh Wooding Law School and a Bachelor of Laws degree with Honours from The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.

As Solicitor General, she played an instrumental role in most Government matters before the court and other negotiations. Finance Minister Gregory Bowen said on Wednesday that she was a part of the negotiating team to finalise the repurchases of WRB Enterprises in Grenlec. The Government was able to save US$12 million as part of the purchasing agreement.

In 2007, Forrester received the Justice Jessel Hannays Memorial prize for best performance in the Law of Remedies. In 2008, she received the Council of Legal Education prize for the most outstanding student at law as well as the Grenada National Youth Award for outstanding contribution to law. Forrester has also served on the Grenada National Anti-doping Organisation and the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation.

Forrester is the daughter of Agnes Forrester and Don Charles (deceased). Charles was well known for his significant contributions in the tourism, entertainment and culture industries.