Kingston, Jamaica — When Dr. Christopher Malcolm steps into the principal’s office at the Norman Manley Law School on 1 September, he intends to spend his first 100 days doing more listening than lecturing. Yet his agenda is anything but passive.
A Diagnostic First, Reforms After
Malcolm’s opening act will be a full-spectrum audit: academics, student experience, staffing, finances, and—crucially—how well graduates serve the modern marketplace.
“Before we prescribe medicine, we need a precise diagnosis,” he told reporters, signalling that every subsequent initiative will be evidence-driven and stakeholder-approved.
Training Lawyers for a Borderless Bar
With cross-jurisdictional practice now routine, Malcolm wants Norman Manley graduates fluent in multiple legal regimes and comfortable in virtual courtrooms. Expect heavier doses of:
- Simulated litigation and arbitration labs
- Multi-country clinical placements
- Continuous quality-assurance loops that benchmark results against international standards
Partnership Playbook
Malcolm views collaboration as an accelerant. High on his list:
- Deepening ties with The UWI Faculty of Law for seamless academic hand-offs
- Joint programmes with regional bar associations to broaden Caribbean legal mobility
- Global institutional alliances to import best practices and export Jamaican talent
“It’s a staged-development model,” he said, hinting at a series of targeted retreats where faculty and partners will co-design curricula upgrades.
Listening Tour, Then Blueprint
The incoming principal refuses to promise shiny new programmes on day one. Instead, he’ll convene internal and external experts, identify performance gaps, and publish a reform roadmap before year-end.
CV Built for the Job
- Nearly three decades in legal practice, academia, and public policy
- Former Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands
- Senior legal posts at the OECS and Jamaica’s Ministry of Justice
- Vice-President, Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution
Colleagues are confident. UWI Mona principal Professor Densil A. Williams called Malcolm’s appointment “a strategic win for the region’s legal ecosystem.” Faculty of Law dean Professor Shazeeda Ali expects “seamless synergy” between campus and law school.
Fiscal Steward on Deck
Beyond pedagogy, Malcolm’s board experience—and reputation for rigorous financial oversight—suggests a focus on long-term sustainability. He inherits a school facing rising technology costs and tighter accreditation standards.
Looking Forward, Not Back
Asked about his legacy, Malcolm demurred: “That verdict is for others. My job is to keep the dialogue honest and the adjustments continuous.” Channeling Frank Sinatra, he quipped that any regrets will be “too few to mention”—but improvements will be plentiful.
Bottom line: Come September, the Norman Manley Law School won’t just get a new principal; it will get a strategist intent on turning legal education into a borderless, high-performance enterprise—one audit, one alliance, and one bold reform at a time.
