Reshma Ragoonath-Grand Cayman
Trinidadian attorney Reshma Sharma, now based in the Cayman Islands, has been appointed as a Queen’s Counsel.
Sharma, who currently serves as the Cayman Islands Solicitor General, was among five Cayman-based attorneys elevated to the distinguished title in the legal fraternity of ‘Silks’.
The appointees also included the island’s former premier and current MP attorney Alden McLaughlin.
The other three appointees were Mac Webster Imrie, a consultant with Maples and Calder law firm; Rachael Reynolds, a global senior partner at Ogier law firm; and Colette Ann Wilkins, a partner at Walkers law firm, all of which have bases in Grand Cayman.
Cayman Islands Governor Martyn Roper, on the recommendation of Cayman Islands Chief Justice Anthony Smellie, signed the legal documents formalising the appointments, the first to be since 2017.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sharma said she was honoured by the accolade and vowed to carry her duties as QC with honour.
Her nomination was made by senior attorney Tom Lowe, QC, who suggested that Sharma was destined for silk as her name Reshma—when translated from Hindi—also means silk.
Governor Roper, in commending the appointees and wishing them continued success, in a post on his official Facebook page on Saturday, reminded that “Our [Cayman] judiciary has a strong international reputation and plays an important role in our jurisdiction’s success.”
The formal ceremony admitting the five new QCs to the Inner Bar was held at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands and was presided over by the chief justice and senior judges.
Sharma began her legal career as an attorney of the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago and holds a Master of Laws degree in Commercial Law (with commendation) from the University of Aberdeen; a Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School; and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) Degree from the University of the West Indies.
She was appointed Cayman Islands Solicitor General in 2019.
Prior to her first appointment in the Cayman Islands, Sharma held the post of Acting Senior State Counsel in the Solicitor General’s Chambers, Ministry of the Attorney General of T&T.
Her key responsibilities there included litigation before the High Court and Court of Appeal of T&T, with particular emphasis on public/administrative and constitutional law matters. Constitutional litigation involved defending the State against alleged breaches of fundamental rights and freedoms.