Brian Moree, QC, will take over as The Bahamas new Chief Justice on June 1. The Tribune understands. Mr Moree, pictured, will assume the post over nine months after Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs died in office.

That will be the longest time it has taken to fill the position in the last 60 years. The second longest gap is the time between Sir Hartman Longley’s departure in 2017 and Justice Isaac’s promotion to the role last August.

Mr Moree was admitted to the Bar of the Bahamas in 1979 and is one of the country’s foremost legal experts on financial services. He is said to be winding up affairs at his firm. A senior partner at Mckinney, Banckroft & Hughes, he has served as a stipendiary and circuit magistrate and as an acting Supreme Court justice. He was formerly a member of the Judicial and Legal Services commission, is a former chairman of the Public Service Commission and is a former director of the Bahamas Financial Services Board.

Many lawyers support Mr Moree’s promotion to the Chief Justice role but some critics note he will be 65 in July and will only have a maximum of three years serving in the top role.