Mario Michel

Who is Mario Michel?

Mario F. Michel is a Saint Lucian lawyer and politician and since 2009 has been a judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

Michel studied Economics and History at the University of the West Indies in Cave Hill, Barbados. He then went on to study at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago from 1988 to 1990. In 1990 he started his own legal practice, Michel & Company, which he pursued until being elected to Parliament in 1997, representing the district of Gros Islet.

Michel is a former President of the National Youth Council and an avid bridge player who has represented the island at many tournaments. From 1997 he was part of the Prime Minister Kenny Anthony's cabinet, serving as Minister of Education, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports and the position of Deputy Prime Minister. He presided over the establishment of Universal Secondary Education and cut a figure of principle and was sometimes construed as obdurate. His tenure was also characterised by confrontations with Saint Lucia Teachers Union some of which ended in short industrial actions.