Vincentian Barrister selected to join Legal Department of Commonwealth Secretariat

Mikhail Charles, an associate in the law firm Baptiste & Co has been appointed to the post of assistant legal officer at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters in London, England.

The post is a junior technical position within the Commonwealth Secretariat and is expected to commence mid-October 2015, for a duration of two years.{{more}}

According to a release from Baptiste & Co Law Firm, Charles will be the only Commonwealth lawyer from the Western Hemisphere at the Secretariat.

While at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Charles will be expected to contribute to the Commonwealth’s four-year Strategic Plan and to undertake significant research and authoring work on comparative legal policy, papers, speeches, and presentations on associated issues within the ‘legal’ Commonwealth world.

The Commonwealth announced its Young Professionals Programme in October 2014, where suitably qualified young people from Commonwealth member countries were invited to apply for the opportunity to contribute to the Commonwealth’s work in international development and democracy, and to build their skills in its culturally diverse, professional environment.

Charles completed his LLB (Hons) at the University of Wales via Holborn College with Upper Second Class Honours, moved on to complete the Bar at City University Law School (London) and is currently undertaking his Masters in Corporate and Insolvency Law from Nottingham Law School and the Certified Fraud Examiners accreditation from the ACFE. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2012.

Charles joined Baptiste & Co Law Firm in March 2013 as a junior associate and was called to the local Bar on September 19, 2013 and promoted to associate of the firm, appearing at all levels of the courts in SVG, save the Privy Council (headquartered in London). He is also admitted to the Bars of Saint Lucia and Grenada, serves on the National Accreditation Board, SVG Bar Association, SVG Taekwondo Association, National Religious Liberty Council of SDAs and on the Board for the School for Children with Special Needs.

He is Seventh-Day Adventist, an acclaimed local speaker, musician, national Taekwondo athlete (first to represent SVG at the Pan American Games) and news anchor on Channel 112 IKTV.

He would be on ‘sabbatical’ from the firm for the duration of this contract. The head of Chambers, associates and other members of the firm wish him all the best in his endeavours.