Call to Bar is family affair for father and son
A young lawyer was last week welcomed to the island’s legal fraternity with the help of his father.
Ernest Bickley, 24, was Called to the Bermuda Bar on Friday, marking a third realm of practice alongside his admittances to the bars of the British Virgin Islands as well as England and Wales.
It was his father Christopher who made the application for his latest admission.
Mr Bickley said: “I’m super proud to be here, especially with the help of my dad.”
He was joined by extended family from the US, Bermuda and Hong Kong at a ceremony in the Supreme Court overseen by Justice Alan Richards.
The court heard that Mr Bickley was born and raised in Hong Kong before attending Durham University in England in 2017.
His father said that the younger Mr Bickley “learnt what it was like to be cold” and completed his studies in the middle of 2020.
Mr Bickley Sr said that his son moved back to Hong Kong to work as a paralegal at Conyers’s Hong Kong office from 2021 to 2023.
He said that his son faced “several challenging years” between studying and working with a busy litigation team.
The younger Mr Bickley later told the court that, while working, he helped to play a pivotal role in simplifying the “common law traditions and principles” of Bermuda for his Asian clients.
He added that he developed a keen knowledge of Asian markets, which were a strong source of partnership for Bermuda.
Mr Bickley was admitted as a solicitor to the Bar of England and Wales last November and to the BVI Bar in May.
He plans to pursue a career in legal advocacy.
Mr Bickley Sr, the head of Conyers’s Hong Kong office, said he was “immensely proud” to admit his son to the Bermuda Bar.
He said: “When I knew he was going to be called, I knew there was no other person who was going to do it.”
Mr Bickley Sr said it was rare for parents to admit their children to the Bermuda Bar, so to have the opportunity to do so was “fantastic”.
He added that he was touched to hear that his son wanted to follow in his footsteps.
Mr Bickley Sr said: “I think it is a great profession.
“Being a Bermuda lawyer and being in Asia as a Bermuda lawyer, there’s lots of opportunities.”
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