Micheal Bruney, nicknamed Mickey, was called to the Dominica local Bar in 1988. He served as a registrar, state attorney, and, until his death, as a magistrate. Bruney died Wednesday, June 24, 2020
In a statement, his family said they are “grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support from persons from all walks of life. Adding that “there has been a great source of comfort to them in” their “difficult time, coming so soon after the passing of another brother, Reggie.”
Dominica’s Bar Association pays tribute to the late Dominican Magistrate, Micheal Bruney.
The Dominica Bar Association, in a tribute to their late collage, Micheal Bruney, magistrate, and veteran radio broadcaster, said that the 62-year-old, as “a quiet force in the legal profession,” as the lawyers mourned his death.
The DBA said that his death came, “so soon after we learned of his lung cancer diagnosis, that it caught all of us, totally off guard.”
“Mickey held and demonstrated a profound respect for the judiciary and judicial officers, whether resident or visiting, active or retired, and was always ready to provide counsel on how the administration of justice could be improved in Dominica,” the bar association recalled.
The DBA said that Micheal Bruney did not like the spotlight, and, if he “could have kept the news of his death quiet, he would have put things in place for that.”
“We, the members of the Dominica Bar Association, are all heartbroken by the passing of Bruney and will miss him tremendously. He was a quiet force in the legal profession and fraternity, and his contribution will never be forgotten. The best honor the legal fraternity can give him is to seek to maintain the legal profession’s traditions, which he so valued and encouraged,” the DBA added.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Adrian Saunders, described Bruney as one of the staunch advocates of the regional court in a letter to the DBA.
Justice Saunders recounted that he was always impressed by Bruney’s submissions, which were crisp, analytical, and incisive.
National Security and Home Affairs Minister, Rayburn Blackmoore, said that despite a very successful private practice, Bruney continued to be of service to the government and people of Dominica.
“Everyone, who knew Mr. Bruney, would refer to him as Mikey, and he was a down-to-earth person, anywhere he was encountered. There can be no doubt about the expertise and skill of Mr. Bruney as an attorney and magistrate.
“Mr. Micheal Bruney was also a media personality and appeared on Dominica Broadcasting Corporation, (DBS), and took upon himself to disseminate information on general election nights, and after the passage of natural disasters,” Blackmoore said, describing him as professional, kind, dynamic, considerate and patriotic.
“While we mourn his loss, we thank God for the gift of Mikey’s life on earth. The family is indeed proud of his achievements and the contribution he made to society. The fact that he was able to touch so many lives positively speaks volumes about the kind of person he was. Many stories have been told about how he made a difference in people’s lives or brought a smile and made someone’s day.
“What is amazing is that he was able to accomplish all these things, while, for the most part, staying out of the public view,” the family memorialized in a statement.
