First Female Chief Justice For Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

Category: Caribbean Woman Created on Thursday, 09 August 2012 07:03

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has its first acting female chief justice.

Justice Janice Mesadis Pereira has been appointed to act as chief justice and president of the Court of Appeal with effect from August 1, 2012.

She becomes officially Chief Justice Pereira once the Letters Patent are signed by Her Majesty the Queen.

Pereira, born on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, succeeds Nevisian-born Sir Hugh Rawlins. 

She obtained her law degree with honours from the University of the West Indies in 1979 and the Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in 1981.

Pereira was called to the Bar in the British Virgin Islands in 1981 and the Bar in St Kitts and Nevis in 2000.

Between 1981 and 1984, Pereira served as Acting Registrar General; Acting Registrar of the Supreme Court and Registrar of Companies, BVI, between 1981 and 1984.

She served as Additional Magistrate and acted as Magistrate, BVI, between 1981 and 1985.

She was an associate attorney at law, J.S. Archibald and Company, Tortola between 1985 and 1989; associate attorney, Harney Westwood & Riegels, Tortola, BVI, in 1989 and attorney at law (civil litigation, commercial and banking), McW Todman & Co (1991 to 2003). 

She served as a law partner in Farara George-Creque & Kerrins and engaged in active practice at the Bar in the conduct of matters at all levels of the courts from 1985 to 2003 in Tortola, BVI; 

Pereira served as a high court judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court from 2003 to 2008 and Court of Appeal from 2009 to 2012 and acting chief justice from 2012.