Monday, January 01, 2007A New Generation of BVIslanders join the legal profession

Susanna HennighanFour young BVIslanders, take up the challenge of international law.

In a country with numerous Law Firms and Trust Companies, one would naturally assume that there has always been an abundance of BVI lawyers. Such was not the case however, with very few BVIslanders in the field up to about five years ago. Today, this fact is difficult to believe. Law is one of the most promising fields for young BVIslanders, and they are taking up the challenge in numbers. Here, we introduce you to four such young BVI lawyers who are making their mark.

Jamal S. Smith

Jamal S. Smith can trace his legal career to a high school job training experience at J.S. Archibald and Co. “Dr. Joseph S. Archibald, QC changed my entire outlook on life by taking me under his guidance,” Smith recalls. Dr. Archibald’s own story, from his humble beginnings to his present position as one of the Caribbean’s most respected legal minds, opened Smith’s eyes to his opportunities. “It struck me that I didn’t have to come from one of the BVI’s established families or be the son of a politician. I just had to work hard and find a place where honest work and diligence is rewarded over family ties,” Smith said.

Smith soon proved to the world that he was not only capable of hard work, but also a talented student, leader, and thinker. He graduated from H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in 1996 with the President’s Award for Most Outstanding Contribution to the College and obtained his professional qualifications from the Eugene Dupuch Law School in the Bahamas.

Since 2002, Smith has worked as a corporate attorney at the oldest and largest law firm in the British Virgin Islands, Harney Westwood & Riegels, where he is head of the Intellectual Property Division of the Corporate and Commercials Department.

Smith is a member of the HLSCC Board of Governors and second vice president of the BVI Bar Association and serves as a director and executive member of the board of the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association. He has also served on several government committees, including a committee to review the draft human rights chapter for the BVI Constitution. Above all, however, Smith is a firm believer in Christian values, serving as a warden of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as well as its representative on the BVI Christian Council.

Smith says that he is proud of his career choice because he is able to contribute to the success and growth of his community. “The greatest disadvantage being that in order to be a successful lawyer; especially in the extremely competitive financial services environment; one must be prepared to make tremendous personal sacrifices. However, I believe that it is important for young BVI lawyers to make those sacrifices and prove that we can be equally competitive in the financial services environment with persons from any competitor jurisdiction,” he said.

Laura S. Hunte

Laura S. Hunte is a 1990 graduate of the British Virgin Islands High School, and the daughter of Lewis S. Hunte, Q.C. - a former Attorney General of the BVI. “My father is my role model,” Hunte said. “I have always been proud of my father’s accomplishments and I always knew that I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
Following high school, Hunte immediately began the pursuit of her legal education.

In 1994, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. In 1997 Hunte obtained the degree of Juris Doctor from Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At Temple, Hunte was the recipient of the John and Frieda Golden Prize for Legal Writing. In 2001, Hunte went on to receive a Certificate of Legal Education from the University of the West Indies, Eugene Dupuch Law School, in Nassau, Bahamas. She is a member of the New Jersey Bar in the United States, the Barbados Bar, and the British Virgin Islands Bar.

Hunte is a senior associate at Hunte and Co., the law firm founded by her father. Hunte & Co. has a diverse local and international practise. Hunte’s primary areas of practise are property and conveyance, banking and commercial and corporate law.

She says that her career choice has been as rewarding as she expected it to be. “I am glad I decided to pursue a career in law, especially now that I have entered into practice with my father,” she said. “I could ask for no better mentor.”

Jerry Samuel

All signs pointed to Jerry Samuel pursuing a promising career in business and economics. The BVI native began his career as a bank teller, spent one year as a Pricing and Forecasting Executive for Cable & Wireless, and then worked as a development economist for the Government’s Development Planning Unit for five years. He had previously earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Economics and a Master of Arts Degree in Political Economy.

But while pursing his Master’s Degree at Carleton University in Ontario, Canada, during the late 1990s, Jerry developed a keen interest in law. “Ironically, my interest in the law was peaked while conducting research in pursuit of my Masters degree. Despite signs and promise of a rewarding career in the public service or academia, I decided to pursue my interest in law and have not looked back since,” he said.

In 2002 Jerry began his legal education at Cardiff University Law School in Wales, and in 2004 he graduated with honours. A year later Jerry qualified as a barrister by attaining a mark of ‘Very Competent’ on the Bar Vocational Course. Jerry was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July 2005 by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn and returned to his home in the BVI to be admitted to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (Virgin Islands) in September 2005.

He joined Walkers (BVI) as an Associate and is presently a member of the firm’s Corporate Department. He has already appeared before the BVI High Court in a number of interlocutory proceedings, including matters involving Norwich Pharmacal relief, Insolvency and Injunctive relief.

Jerry is currently Treasurer of the BVI Bar Association and an adjunct lecturer of Business Law at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College. He is an avid basketball fan and also enjoys travelling, music, snorkelling, reading and photography.

In terms of his future aspirations, Jerry remarks that, “Although I still have a passion for economics and politics, I am very happy with my decision to pursue a legal career. I find law to be both challenging and rewarding. I hope one day not only to become a prominent attorney in this currently thriving jurisdiction, but I also hope to make a significant contribution to the development of my country along the way.”

Ayana Hull-Brathwaite

As a child, Ayana Hull-Brathwaite was good at stating her case. This is why several friends and relatives joked to her that she should become a lawyer when she grew up. Little did Hull-Brathwaite know, but these people were on to something. Hull-Brathwaite did not set out to be a lawyer. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Florida State University, she went to work at the BVI Ports Authority as its administrative manager and in this capacity, corporate secretary to the Board. During her tenure there she sat in on numerous Board meetings where members discussed litigation, expansion plans, and other legal issues. In time, Hull-Brathwaite saw that she was interested in these types of issues. “The discussions piqued my interest,” she said, and eventually Hull-Brathwaite decided to go back to school to study law.

It proved to be the right move, as Hull-Brathwaite distinguished herself during her pursuit of her law degree. She obtained her bachelor of laws degree from the University of the West Indies in 2002, where she received numerous awards for academic excellence, including the Thorne De La Bastide Prize for Constitutional Law, The Justice Nicholas Liverpool Q.C. Prize for the Law of Trusts, The Reid Prize for Real Property, the Time Kendall Q.C. Prize for the Law of Contract and the Joy & Anthony Bland Law Scholarship.

In 2003, Hull-Brathwaite received the Prince of Wales Chevening Cambridge Scholarship to attend the University of Cambridge (Girton College) to pursue a master of laws degree in commercial law, where she completed with high honours and received the Mistress of Girton’s Prize for good examination results. Hull-Brathwaite was called to the UK Bar in July 2004 by the Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn and to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (Virgin Islands) in September 2004, whereupon she joined the BVI Financial Services Commission as legal counsel. In September 2005 she joined Walkers (BVI) as an associate in the Corporate Department.

Ayana is a Notary Public, a member of the Rotary Club of Road Town and is currently the Director of Community Service. She is instrumental in the Walkers Children in the Arts Program, a program that the firm launched in the BVI last year to raise the awareness of arts among children in the BVI. She is also a member of the BVI Government Education Advisory Board, the Legal Professions Act Committee, and the Steering Committee for the Development of Arts in the BVI, the BVI Bar Association (and currently a member of the Bar Association’s Children Committee).

Hull-Brathwaite said she is pleased that she made the decision to pursue a legal career. “I like the variety of legal work that I’m doing, and I feel like I am doing what I am destined to be doing,” she said. “I also enjoy the feeling of making a difference for my clients.”

Oyster Publications Inc, PO box 3369, Road Town Tortola, British Virgin Islands, VG1110