Michelle N. Smith, Partner and currently the Firm’s Managing Partner. She heads the firm Commercial Division and Dispute Resolution Department. Michelle was admitted to the Jamaican bar in 2005 and was also called to the bars of Anguilla in 2006 and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2007. She has five (5) years experience working at a leading law firm on Anguilla, a commercial offshore jurisdiction, where she gained significant experience in varied commercial transactions, some transnational in nature. Michelle has drafted and reviewed commercial agreements for diverse transactions and provided legal advice on issues related to corporate and commercial acquisition, banking, employment, and real estate acquisition.

Michelle also developed strong skills in civil and commercial litigation some of which were complex multi-jurisdictional matters. She has appeared in civil and commercial matters before the High Court and the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, as well as she was a part of a winning legal team, including a Queen’s council and an English solicitor, preparing and appearing with them in a commercial matter on appeal before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

While Michelle enjoys practicing litigation in the courts she recognizes and fully endorses the benefits of alternative methods of dispute resolution outside of the traditional court system. She has represented clients in successful settlements through mediation and advised on arbitration as an option for resolving some commercial disputes. Her conviction as to the benefits of alternative methods of dispute resolution, particularly for commercial disputes, lead her to pursue a Master of Laws in International and Commercial Dispute Resolution Law which she successful completed in 2012.

Prior to working in Anguilla, Michelle was an associate at a law firm in Jamaica where her practice areas were civil and commercial litigation, family and real estate. She has appeared in civil matters before the Jamaica Court of Appeal, High Court and Resident Magistrate’s Court.

Practice Areas: Corporate and Commercial; Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution; Employment and Industrial Relation; Trade and Foreign Investment; Estate Planning, Probate and Administration and Real Estate

Education: University of Westminster, Master of Laws in International and Commercial Dispute Resolution Law (Distinction), 2012; Norman Manley Law School, Legal Education Certificate, 2005; University of the West Indies, Bachelor of Laws (Upper Second Class Honours), 2003; and University of the West Indies, Bachelors of Arts, History Major (Upper Second Class Honours), 1999.