Sir
Lionel Luckhoo was called “the most successful lawyer in history” by the Guiness
Book of World Records. He was given this designation because he won 245
consecutive murder trials as a defense attorney. A native of British Guyana, he was named to the Queen’s Counsel in
1954. The Queen’s Counsel is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (in this
case Queen Elizabeth) to act as their representative. He was also twice
knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
For a
person to have this kind of success they must possess a very sharp mind and tremendous
analytical skill. They would have to know how to sort the evidence and be able
to decide what can be trusted and what must be discarded. Sir Lionel possessed
these characteristics as many prosecuting attorneys
discovered while facing him in the courtroom.
Sir Lionel also had a political career. He served as the
Mayor of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, in 1955, 1956, 1960, and 1961. He
was also involved in negotiations for the independence of both Guyana and
Barbados. He was appointed High Commissioner for Guyana and Barbados in Britain
(1966-1970) and was also Ambassador for both countries. From 1967–1970 he
served as a joint ambassador for Guyana and Barbados in France, Germany, and
the Netherlands.
Sir Lionel confessed that later in life he developed a sense of
hopelessness and meaningless about life. He was challenged to study the
biblical claims of Jesus and the Resurrection and decided to accept the
challenge. After years of sifting through the testimonies of Mathew, Mark,
Luke, John, Peter, and Paul, he became convinced that the biblical record was
true and wrote,
He became a devout follower of Christ and became an itinerant Christian
speaker and authored a number of pamphlets including, What is Your Verdict. He
considered the biblical evidence for Jesus
and His Resurrection to be overwhelming. He declared,
I say
unequivocally that the resurrection of Jesus Christ
is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves
absolutely no room for doubt.
Because of his reputation, Sir Lionel had the opportunity to address audiences worldwide, including
presidents, kings, parliaments, bar associations, and the United Nations. He
was not shy about declaring his faith and more than once was heard to declare,
The bones of Muhammad are in Medina, the bones of Confucius
are in Shantung, the cremated bones of Buddha are in Nepal. Thousands pay
pilgrimages to worship at their tombs which contain their bones.
But in Jerusalem there is a cave cut into the rock. This is the tomb of Jesus.
IT IS EMPTY! YES, EMPTY! BECAUSE HE IS RISEN! He died, physically and
historically. He arose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God (Hyatt,
The Book that Made America Great, 128).
