Caymanian lawyer named to top court post

The Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service, Franz Manderson this week announced the appointment of Suzanne Bothwell as Court Administrator Designate.

Mrs Bothwell was named the successful candidate after an open recruitment process in which she sat before a panel including Mr Manderson, Chief Justice Anthony Smellie, and Walkers Global Managing Partner Ingrid Pierce.

In this position Mrs Bothwell will be responsible for the overall management and administration of the non-judicial operations of the Courts, reporting to the Chief Justice. She will also serve as Chief Officer responsible for Judicial Administration and report to the Deputy Governor on those responsibilities.

Mrs Bothwell has been employed with the Cayman Islands Government for 15 years. Since 2006, she has held a number of senior positions within the Civil Service, both inside and outside the Attorney General’s Chambers. She has practiced as a Crown Counsel and Senior Crown Counsel with the Portfolio of Legal Affairs with a background in criminal, civil, family, and international law and anti-money laundering litigation. She has also acted as Solicitor General from time to time and currently serves as Deputy Supervisor of Elections.

Mrs Bothwell practiced as a Crown Counsel since October 2000, and was called to the Cayman Islands Bar in 2001. She received a Bachelor of Laws degree with Second Class Honours from the University of West Indies. She later graduated from the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica where she acquired her post qualification certificate. She also received a distinction in the professional certificate of human resources practice at the University of Portsmouth’s (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) in the United Kingdom.

In the past, she has served as Director of the Constitutional Review Secretariat and Chairman of the Health Insurance Commission.

“It is with great pride that we announce Mrs Bothwell’s appointment as the new Courts Administrator,” said the Deputy Governor. “She is highly qualified, has a wealth of experience in working with the judiciary, and is another example of our commitment to appoint highly qualified Caymanians in senior posts in the Civil Service.”

Mrs Bothwell succeeds Kevin McCormac, who completes his four-year term in April but has agreed to stay on until June 24 to allow Mrs Bothwell to undertake additional training in the UK prior to assuming the post. 

“I wish to thank Mr McCormac for his outstanding work during his short time with us,” said Mr Manderson. “Mr McCormac made it clear from the date of his appointment that he wished to work for four years which would allow him time to improve the performance of judicial administration and allow us time to identify a Caymanian to take over the post, and he has kept his commitment.”

Commenting on the appointment, Chief Justice Anthony Smellie stated: “I also wish to thank Mr McCormac for his sterling contribution to the administration of justice and congratulate Mrs Bothwell on her appointment. I have known Mrs. Bothwell for many years; she has appeared before our courts in many cases on behalf of the Crown and has acted as my adviser and representative on matters involving our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States of America. I am delighted to see her promoted up the ranks of the civil service to be now designated to lead the administrative operations of the courts and I look forward to working with her.”

Mrs Bothwell said she was pleased to work with the Chief Justice in this new capacity.

“I hope to build upon the strong foundation left by previous court administrators and look forward to receiving the support of the staff in bringing in new and innovative measures that will enhance the functioning of our local court system for all relevant stakeholders,” she said.

As outgoing court administrator, Mr McCormac stated: “Providing justice is a critical part of any strong society and it has been a privilege to serve the people of the Cayman Islands in this role. It has also been a pleasure to work with so many committed and able judges, magistrates and court staff for the last four years and I look forward to working alongside Ms Suzanne in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition”. (GIS)