The reparations campaign’s legal arm has occasionally involved British law firms, most notably Leigh Day, which was engaged by CARICOM to prepare a “Notice of Complaint” and advise on potential legal strategies. The involvement of serious lawyers does not indicate a strong legal case. It indicates that the campaign wants to give the impression of legal substance and that it is exploring every possible avenue.
Leigh Day is a reputable firm that has brought successful human rights cases in British courts, including cases related to colonial-era abuses. But the CARICOM instruction was to prepare documents for negotiation and political pressure rather than for actual litigation, because the legal case for bringing a state-to-state reparations claim in court does not currently exist. The legal work is in support of a political campaign, not a legal action.
