Rodwell Roosevelt Adlai Williams (born 29 September 1956) is a Belizean lawyer. He is a name partner, along with Prime Minister of Belize and United Democratic Party leader Dean Barrow, in the

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

law firm Barrow & Williams.

Major cases

Williams began working for Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft as a

mortgage law A mortgage is a legal instrument of the common law which is used to create a security interest in real property held by a lender as a security for a debt, usually a mortgage loan. '' Hypothec'' is the corresponding term in civil law jurisdi ...

expert in 1989. In 2010, Williams successfully defended businessman Alfred Schakron against a lawsuit by politician Jose Coye alleging

malicious prosecution Malicious prosecution is a common law intentional tort. Like the tort of abuse of process, its elements include (1) intentionally (and maliciously) instituting and pursuing (or causing to be instituted or pursued) a legal action ( civil or crim ...

; Coye was represented by Elson Kaseke. In 2011, Williams and Eamon Courtenay represented the Belize Association of Evangelical Churches and the Council of Churches in a joint effort with the Government of Belize to face off a constitutional challenge to Belize's sodomy laws by the United Belize Advocacy Movement, which was represented by Lisa Shoman. In 2012, he defended Elvin Penner against an election petition filed by losing candidate Orlando Habet, who was represented by ex-PM Said Musa.

Murder attempt

On the evening of 31 May 2010, Williams was shot while walking from his office to his vehicle. Williams and the office security guard exited the building together at about 7:20 pm; the two were walking along Albert Street East when they were approached by two men on bicycles. Both assailants alighted from their bicycles, and one tackled the security guard while the other pointed a firearm at Williams. Williams was shot in the abdomen, and was rushed to Belize Healthcare Partners for surgery to extract the bullet. Williams had already lost four litres of blood by the time he arrived for surgery, and had suffered damage to his

duodenum The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In mammals, it may be the principal site for iron absorption. The duodenum precedes the jejunum and ileum and is the shortest p ...

inferior vena cava The inferior vena cava is a large vein that carries the deoxygenated blood from the lower and middle body into the right atrium of the heart. It is formed by the joining of the right and the left common iliac veins, usually at the level of the ...

, and

large intestine The large intestine, also known as the large bowel, is the last part of the gastrointestinal tract and of the Digestion, digestive system in tetrapods. Water is absorbed here and the remaining waste material is stored in the rectum as feces befor ...

. He received enormous

blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's Circulatory system, circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used ...

s to keep him alive, and by the end of his third surgery had bled an additional six litres. Surgeons stated that most people would not live beyond three minutes after being shot in that manner, but Williams was able to cling to life and survive surgery. Two men were charged with the

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seve ...

: Ricky Valencia and Akeem Thurton. While awaiting trial and out on bail, Valencia was again arrested on charges of handling stolen goods. Valencia and Thurton were the first suspects to be tried in the new "fast-track court" without the benefit of a jury. Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Taitt represented the Government of Belize. Valencia and Thurton came before the Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin on the charges in early February 2012, but the case was adjourned because both defendants were still trying to get lawyers. While awaiting the resumption of the trial, Valencia was shot dead on 22 February while driving on Caesar Ridge Road. Police suspected his death was related to a dispute over the proceeds of a bank robbery in which he was allegedly involved. Valencia's death left Thurton to stand trial alone for the attempt on Williams' life. It would be the first trial without jury in Belize. Thurton in the end was unable to obtain legal representation and appeared as a litigant in person. During the trial, he claimed that it was Valencia and not himself who had shot Williams; however, Williams refuted this. Justice Benjamin did not believe this either, and found Thurton guilty of the attempted murder. Thurton's sentence was announced on 30 March 2012: 15 years in prison. Benjamin stated that he had taken into account that Thurton had a family depending on his income as a fisherman, but also considered several aggravating factors such as his use of a firearm, and given the premeditation shown by lying in wait to ambush Williams the possibility that it was a murder for hire.

Personal life and education

Williams was born in

. He did his first degree in Economics at the

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

campus of the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

(UWI), and then a LL.B. at UWI Barbados. He went on to complete a

Legal Education Certificate In the Commonwealth Caribbean, a Legal Education Certificate is a professional certification awarded to a person who has completed a course of study and training at a law school established by the Council of Legal Education. It was created by Art ...

at the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, graduating in 1984. He is married to Felice Williams. In the New Year Honours 2009 Rodwell was appointed as a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Rodwell 1956 births Living people Belizean lawyers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from Belize City People associated with the Norman Manley Law School