The courts that handle Tunapuna matters
For Tunapuna and the surrounding east-west corridor, the routing is:
- Tunapuna Magistrates' Court — summary criminal matters, minor civil claims, traffic, and preliminary inquiries. The first stop for most local matters.
- High Court at Port of Spain — significant civil claims, contested probate, judicial review, and serious commercial disputes. The Hall of Justice in Port of Spain is the venue.
- Family Court at Port of Spain — divorce, custody, access, maintenance, and matrimonial-property applications under the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, Chapter 45:51 and the Children Act 2012.
- Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago — workplace disputes and matters under the Industrial Relations Act, Chapter 88:01.
- Probate Registry — applications for grant of probate or letters of administration filed through the Supreme Court of Judicature.
Matters that come up disproportionately in Tunapuna
Residential-rental and short-let property matters
Tunapuna's proximity to UWI St. Augustine drives a steady residential-rental market — undergraduate and postgraduate students, faculty, and visiting researchers. The legal questions follow: residential tenancy disputes, deposit-recovery, rent-arrears matters, and the limits of what a landlord can and cannot do under the Landlord and Tenant Act, Chapter 59:55. Owners letting through informal arrangements often find that the documentation does not survive contact with a real dispute.
Conveyancing and family-property matters
The corridor's older residential stock — Tunapuna proper, St. Augustine, Mount Hope — 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 — divorce, custody, maintenance
Population density in the corridor produces a steady volume of family-law instructions: contested and uncontested divorce, custody and access arrangements, maintenance applications, and matrimonial-property division. Most divorce filings for Tunapuna residents are heard at the Family Court in Port of Spain.
Personal-injury and road-traffic claims
The Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and the Eastern Main Road through Tunapuna are among the country's most heavily trafficked roads. Road-traffic injury claims are a common instruction — claims against insurers under the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third-Party Risks) Act, loss-of-earnings claims, and matters involving long-running medical recovery.
Practical access — how Tunapuna clients work with the firm
The firm's primary office is at 43 Dundonald Street, Port of Spain — approximately 25 to 30 minutes from Tunapuna via the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway under normal traffic (longer at peak). Most Tunapuna clients never need to make that trip:
- First consultation — by phone, Zoom, WhatsApp video, or Google Meet. Documents are exchanged by email or secure transfer.
- Court appearances — the firm's attorneys appear at the Tunapuna Magistrates' Court (and elsewhere) on the client's behalf.
- Document signing — most documents can be signed remotely; where notarisation is required, the firm coordinates the most efficient option.
- In-person meetings — available at the Port of Spain office for clients who prefer face-to-face contact.
Why instruct Martin George & Company
The firm has advised clients across Trinidad and Tobago since 1992. Martin George, the firm's Senior Partner and Lead Counsel, has more than 30 years of practice in the courts of Trinidad and Tobago, has 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. Practice areas span family, property, civil and commercial litigation, employment, personal injury, wills and probate, immigration, and public law — meaning a Tunapuna matter that crosses several areas can be handled inside one firm rather than passed between counsel.
Frequently asked questions
Will my matter be heard in Tunapuna or Port of Spain?
Summary criminal matters and small civil claims go to the Tunapuna Magistrates' Court. Significant civil claims, family-law matters, and contested probate go to the High Court or Family Court in Port of Spain. The firm confirms the right venue at the first consultation.
I let a property to a tenant near UWI 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.
How long does it take to drive from Tunapuna to your Port of Spain office?
Approximately 25 to 30 minutes via the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway under normal traffic — longer at peak hours. Most matters do not require the trip; consultations are conducted virtually as standard.
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.