Bio
I have a background in political science and sociology and worked in the Prime Minister’s Office (Barbados) shortly after my undergraduate studies as a researcher. I later pursued my Masters in Trade Law, and PhD in International Economic Law, focusing on the relationship between different systems in international law. After completing my doctorate, I lectured at Durham Law School, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and University of London.
I transitioned into legal practice, qualifying as a solicitor in England & Wales, gaining extensive experience in structured products, banking, finance, and general corporate and commercial law at renowned international law firms Ashurst and K&L Gates and, investment bank, Goldman Sachs in London, and leading law firm Conyers Dill & Pearman in the British Virgin Islands. I am called as a lawyer in England & Wales, Barbados and British Virgin Islands.
Returning to academia, my current research interests revolve around Caribbean constitutionalism, politics & political economy. My journey allowed me to blend practical legal experience and academic exploration to provide insights into the intersection of Caribbean law, politics, and political economy.
Qualifications
PhD, (International economic law), (passed without corrections, which is the highest accolade as a Doctorate is not awarded a specific grade), Newcastle Law School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2008
LLM, (Distinction) (International trade law), (graduated first in the class), Newcastle Law School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2004
BSc., Sociology & Political Science (Honours), University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, 2001
Study Abroad Programme, (Political Economy & Law), University of California, Berkeley, 2001 (GPA 4.0)
Professional Qualifications
Post Graduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning (Grade A), University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, 2020
Legal Education Certificate (LEC), Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad, 2020
Legal Practice Course (LPC), College of Law, Moorgate, London, 2011
LL.B, Honours Degree, 2017 (Graduate Diploma in Law, 2011) BPP University, Law School, London, UK
Research Areas
I have an interest in Law, Politics and History, focusing on Caribbean constitutionalism, politics and political economy. My current research revolves around Decolonial Constitutionalism, and Caribbean political and constitutional reform.
Teaching Areas
Constitutional Law
Advanced Constitutional Law
Law and Legal Systems
Trusts
Publications
Book
Ronnie Yearwood. The Relationship between the World Trade Organization (WTO) and External Law: The Constrained Openness of WTO Law (A Prologue to a Theory). Routledge, 2012.
Chapter
Ronnie Yearwood (with Ross C. Davis). “How World Trade Organisation Law Makes Itself Possible.” Socio-Legal Approaches to International Economic Law, edited by Amanda Perry Kessaris, Routledge, 2013.
Articles
- Ronnie Yearwood, “The anti-defection amendment in Barbados: A constitutional wrong turn?” ConstitutionNet, International IDEA, 24 March 2026 <The anti-defection amendment in Barbados: A constitutional wrong turn? | ConstitutionNet>
- Ronnie Yearwood, “Decolonial Constitutionalism” South Atlantic Quarterly 2026 <https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-12310736> [July/August 2026, one of the most read articles on SAQ]
- Ronnie Yearwood, “Whose Stories? Decolonial Constitutionalism and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)” The UWI St. Augustine Law Journal Vol.3. No.2, 140-161, 31 Oct 2025 <https://journals.sta.uwi.edu/ojs/index.php/stalj/article/view/10131>
- Ronnie Yearwood and Rahym R. Augustin-Joseph, “Constitutional Reform in Barbados: A Failure to Dismantle Westminster” The UWI St. Augustine Law Journal Vol.3, No.1,77-94, June 2025 <https://journals.sta.uwi.edu/ojs/index.php/stalj/article/view/9708>
- Ronnie Yearwood. “Constitutional Reform in Barbados: The Enduring Influence of Westminster?” ConstitutionNet, International IDEA, 30 Jan. 2025, <https://constitutionnet.org/news/voices/constitutional-reform-barbados-enduringinfluence westminster> [This was #3 Most Read Article for 2025 from International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) Voices in the Field]
- Cynthia Barrow-Giles and Ronnie Yearwood. “Mandatory Constitutional Referendums in Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutions: Placing ‘People’ at the Centre of the Constitution.” King’s Law Journal, 2023. <https://doi.org/10.1080/09615768.2023.2254674>
- Ronnie Yearwood. “Barbados’ Transition to a Republic: ‘Republic in Name First, Constitutional Reform After’, ‘Stuff and Nonsense!” Journal of Parliamentary and Political Law/Revue de Droit Parlementaire et Politique, vol. 16, 2022.
- Ronnie Yearwood and Rico Yearwood. “Jones v Attorney General of Barbados: The Dividing Line between (Un)constitutional Alterations and Derogations.” Public Law, 2022.
- Cynthia Barrow-Giles and Ronnie Yearwood. “CARICOM and the 2020 Unsettled Elections in Guyana: A Failed Political (Legal) Solution?” The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, vol. 110, no. 4, 2020 <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00358533.2020.1819621>
- Cynthia Barrow-Giles and Ronnie Yearwood, “The Judicialisation of elections in Guyana: A case study of the March 02, 2020 General and Regional Elections.” Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies, Vol. 45, No. 2, 2020 <<https://www.jecsonline.com/journals/volume-45-no-2/>
- Ronnie Yearwood and Cynthia Barrow-Giles. “GECOM and the 2020 General and Regional Elections in Guyana: Constitutional Powerhouse or Political Powerlessness?” Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies, vol. 45, no. 2, 2020 <https://www.jecsonline.com/journals/volume-45-no-2/>
Additional Info
Visiting Fellowships
Visiting Researcher, Newcastle Law School, Newcastle University, September – December 2026
Academic Visitor, University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, Institute of European and Comparative Law, May – August 2026
Visiting Teaching Scholar (in Caribbean Law and Legal Systems), China University of Politics and Law (CUPL), Summer (in-person), 2023
Visiting Teaching Scholar (in Caribbean Law and Legal Systems), China University of Politics and Law (CUPL), Summer (online), 2022
Admissions to Practice
- Admitted to the Bar of Barbados as an Attorney-at-Law (2020)
- Admitted to the Roll as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales (2013)
- Admitted to the Roll as a Solicitor of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands (2016)
- Freeman of The City of London Solicitors’ Company (2018)
Scholarships and Awards
- Overseas Research Scholar (2006)
- International Postgraduate Scholar, Newcastle University (2005)
- Newcastle Law School Bursary (2005)
- National Development Scholar (Barbados) (2005)
- Prize for the Most Outstanding Results in the Masters, Newcastle Law School (2004)
- Chevening Scholar (2003)
- University of California Berkeley, Student Exchange Programme Travel Abroad Scholarship and Award (2001)
- International House at the University of California Berkeley Award (2001)
- The West Indies Guild of University Teachers (University of West Indies Cave Hill) Travel Abroad Award (2001)
Keywords
Decolonial Constitutionalism
Decoloniality
Caribbean Constitutionalism
Politics & Law
Democracy and Governance
International Economic Law
