Turks & Caicos Islands
Bar Association
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Contact Us

secretary@tcibc.org
(649)-946-4650

Office

TCI Bar Council, P.O Box 260, Regent House West,
Regent Village, Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks
and Caicos Islands, BWI

SELVYN HAWKINS

Selvyn Hawkins is a proud Turks and Caicos Islander. He possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science (International/Comparative Government) from Savannah State University; an LLB (Hons) from the University of Buckingham; a Diploma in Professional Legal Practice from the City Law School (London); a Masters in International Law (MIL) from the University of Sydney, Australia (focus on Int. Human Rights/ Int. Negotiation and Conflict Resolution / Law, Justice and Development); and a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Alphacrucis College via Hillsong College (Australia). He is currently converting his Master of Arts degree to a Master of Divinity (MDiv) with Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, with specific focus on church planting and growth, missiology, black and contemporary theology. He is also a certified Court Assisted Mediator, trained as such by the University of West Indies.

Selvyn is called to the Bar of England and Wales as a Barrister by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and is admitted to the Bar of the Turks and Caicos Islands as an attorney-at Law. He currently serves as President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Bar Council, Deputy Chairman for the Board of Governors for the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, and Chairman for the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority.

SARAH KNIGHT

Sarah Knight is a graduate of the University of Leicester and was admitted to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1998.Her practice area is primarily in real estate and development and she is a Partner at Misick & Stanbrook.

Sarah has served in various capacities on the Bar Council for most of her career starting as the Secretary and working up to the President. She is currently the Vice President and a sitting member of the Council’s Legislative Committee.

DESIREE DOWNES

Desiree Downes hails from Guyana. She is an Attorney-at-Law called to the Guyana Bar on 22 October 1999.

Ms. Downes holds a Degree in Public Management and av Bachelor of Laws Degree, both obtained from the University of Guyana, Guyana; a Legal Education Certificate obtained from the Hugh Wooding Law School, Trinidad and Tobago; and a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Drafting Legislation, Regulation and Policy from the University of London, School of Advanced Study (Institute of Advanced Legal Studies), United Kingdom.

Desiree is the Principal Legislative Drafter in the Attorney General’s Chambers, Turks and Caicos Islands, where she bears responsibility for the work of the Legislative Drafting Division. She began her legal career in the Attorney General’s Chambers, Guyana as State Counsel in 1999. She also served as Senior Legislative Drafter for a brief period in the Attorney General’s Chambers, Bahamas. In 2013 Desiree received an honorary MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) award from Her Majesty the Queen for her services to legislative drafting in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

She is a Caribbean Financial Action Task Force trained anti-money laundering and prevention of the financing of terrorism assessor.

Ms. Downes serves as the Attorney General’s representative on the Bar Council.

KERCHELLE E. BAIN

Kerchelle E. Bain is a practising Attorney and Certified Mediator in the Turks and Caicos Islands. She has experience in a variety of practice areas but currently focuses on Family, Property and Dispute Resolution matters. She was appointed Secretary to the Bar Council in 2018 where she served until her election to member in April 2021.

Tremmaine Harvey

Tremmaine is an attorney   with 15 years of experience in the areas of corporate and commercial law, real estate l aw, tourism and resort development, and banking and finance. She advises clients on all aspects of corporate and commercial law, business structure and investments, draft contracts and various legal documents. She acts for  clients in high value  land transactions and have been involved  in tourism  development projects  from  the idea phase to construction to completion, obtaining requisite operational licenses to completion, sales and  ongoing  daily  management  legal  advice.  She has been engaged  as counsel  to  various commercial   banks  throughout  her  practice  in  drafting  securitization   documents,  leading foreclosure and recovery proceedings and providing legal advice.  She believes in providing clients with superior service and have earned a reputation for efficiency which manifests in repeat and new clients. Tremmaine has served in various leadership capacities including Chair of the 2012 Electoral Boundaries Commission, Deputy Chairman of the Invest TC Agency (2015-2018), Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands Integrity Commission (2019-present), current Chair of the Turks and Caicos Islands Medical and Dentistry Professions Council and current member of the Turks and Caicos Bar Council.

Shantae Francis

I am currently the Treasurer of the TCI Bar Association. I am a graduate of the University of Leeds where I obtained a Bachelors of Laws LLB (Hons.) I have also attended BPP University where I received a Postgraduate Diploma in the Bar Professional Training Course. I am also an accredited Civil - Commercial Mediator which I obtained from ADR-ODR International. I am also currently completing a Master’s Degree in Law with Business.

I am member of Lincoln’s Inn and was called to the bar in England and Wales in 2017 and in Turks and Caicos Islands in 2019.

JERWINA TAYLOR

Jerwina Taylor is a graduate of Oxford Brookes University,where she obtained her law degree (LLB Hons) in 2012. She was admitted to the Turks and Caicos Bar as an Attorney in 2014. Jerwina is an Associate at Karam & Missick Attorneys, where her principal areas of practice include debt recovery, personal injury, employment, family and probate. She is an elected member of the TCI Bar Council for the term 2018/ 19. Jerwina also serves as Chair of the TCI Junior Bar Committee.

OREIKA SELVER, LL. B (HONS.)

Oreika Selver, LL. B (Hons.), qualified Barrister & Attorney-at-Law, Member of Middle Temple Inns of Court (2007); Admitted to the Bar of England & Wales (2008) and the Turks & Caicos Bar (2009).From 2011 – 2016 she was engaged as a criminal trial attorney, appearing before the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal with the Director of Public Prosecutions; Ms. Selver has had regular speaking engagements at local high schools and she has lectured at the TCI Community College in Hospitality and Intellectual Property Law. Ms. Selver is currently In-house Counsel/Legal & Compliance Officer at the Invest Turks and Caicos Agency – an investment promotion agency, that is responsible for inward and local investment to the Islands.

In 2017/2018 Ms. Selver served as Acting Deputy Magistrate in the Turks and Caicos Islands and has been a member of the TCI Bar Council from 2012 – 2018. Ms. Selver was elected as President of the TCI Bar Council on 17th March 2018.

The work of the

Turks and Caicos Islands Bar Council

Membership of the

Bar Council

The Bar Council consists of five members, including an elected President and a Vice-President. Three of the members of the Council are required to be Turks and Caicos Islanders who has been in legal practice in the Islands for not less than two years. One member of the Council is required to has been in practice in the Islands for not less than seven years and one member is appointed by the Attorney General from among members of the Bar Association who are Crown Officers holding legal appointments in the public service of the Islands. Meetings of the Bar Council are presided over by the President or the Vice-President or (in their absence) some other member. The quorum of the Council is three members.

The current members of the Bar Council are:

Selvyn Hawkins
President
Sarah Knight
Vice President
Desiree Downes
AG Appointed Member
Kerchelle E. Bain
Member
Tremmaine Harvey
Member of Council & Chairperson of Technology/Media Committee
Shantae Francis
Treasurer

Functions of the

Bar Council

  • To maintain the honour and independence of the Bar Association.
  • To promote and encourage proper standards of practice and conduct among members of the Bar Association.
  • To promote and encourage the development and dissemination of legal learning, education and training.
  • To encourage the improvement of the administration of justice and procedure.

The Bar Council is entitled to levy an annual fee on members of the Bar Association for the purposes of covering expenses properly incurred by the Bar Council in discharging its functions.

The Bar Council is responsible for receiving complaints of professional misconduct from any person made in respect of the conduct of an attorney. Please see our page regarding making a complaint.

Past Presidents of the

Bar Council

  • Conrad Griffiths QC
  • Richard Savory QC
  • Clayton Greene
  • Sarah Knight
  • George Missick
  • Bianca Harvey
  • Jonathan Katan QC
  • Hon. Oreika Server Gardiner