The courts that handle St. Augustine matters
- Tunapuna Magistrates' Court — summary criminal matters, minor civil claims, traffic, and preliminary inquiries for the Tunapuna-St. Augustine area.
- High Court at Port of Spain — significant civil claims, contested probate, judicial review, and serious matters.
- Family Court at Port of Spain — divorce, custody, access, maintenance, and matrimonial-property applications under the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, Chapter 45:51.
- Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago — workplace disputes under the Industrial Relations Act, Chapter 88:01.
- Probate Registry — applications for grant of probate or letters of administration through the Supreme Court of Judicature.
Matters that come up disproportionately in St. Augustine
Landlord-tenant and student-housing matters
St. Augustine's proximity to UWI generates a large residential-rental market — undergraduate and postgraduate students, faculty, and visiting researchers. Common instructions include tenancy disputes, deposit-recovery, rent-arrears matters, eviction procedures, and the limits of what landlords can and cannot do under the Landlord and Tenant Act, Chapter 59:55. Landlords letting through informal arrangements often find that the documentation does not survive contact with a real dispute.
Conveyancing on older corridor stock
The corridor's older residential stock — St. Augustine, Curepe, and Tunapuna proper — regularly turns over with conveyancing requirements that include title verification, mortgage documentation, and resolution of historical title gaps. Properties that have passed through generations without formal estate proceedings can carry intestate-succession complications that surface only at the point of sale.
Family law and probate
Divorce, custody, maintenance, and matrimonial-property division are routed through the Family Court at Port of Spain. The firm also handles probate and letters-of-administration applications.
Employment matters
Service-sector and academic-adjacent employment matters generate frequent instructions on dismissal, severance, and contract issues under the Industrial Relations Act and the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act, Chapter 88:13.
Practical access — how St. Augustine clients work with the firm
The firm's primary office is at 43 Dundonald Street, Port of Spain — approximately 25 to 30 minutes from St. Augustine via the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway. Most St. Augustine clients never need to make that trip: consultations are handled by phone, Zoom, or WhatsApp video; court appearances at the Tunapuna Magistrates' Court (and elsewhere) are handled by the firm's attorneys on the client's behalf.
Why instruct Martin George & Company
The firm has advised clients across Trinidad and Tobago since 1992. Martin George, Senior Partner and Lead Counsel, has more than 30 years of practice in the courts of Trinidad and Tobago, served as a Commissioner on the Law Reform Commission, and sat on the Prime Minister's Constitutional Committee for Internal Self-Government for Tobago. The firm is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms and is a Lawzana-verified practice.
Frequently asked questions
I let my property to a UWI student and they won't pay or leave — what now?
The route depends on the tenancy arrangement and how it was documented. Both eviction and deposit-recovery have specific procedural steps under the Landlord and Tenant Act that affect timelines and outcomes. Self-help (changing locks, removing belongings) is not legal and can expose a landlord to claims. Take advice before acting.
I'm buying an older property in the St. Augustine area — what should I check?
Begin with a title search. Older corridor properties can have title histories that include unprocessed estates or gaps that need to be resolved before clean title can be transferred. Acting before a deposit is paid is significantly cheaper than acting afterwards.
How do I book a consultation?
Call +1 (868) 624-4529, message the firm on WhatsApp at (868) 780-2804, or book online at martingeorge.net/book-consultation.