First female advocate law drafter appointed

Monday 09 December 2019

Jersey's first ever locally-qualified female law drafter has been appointed to the department responsible for writing the island's legislation.

In her appointment to the Legislative Drafting Office, Advocate Jackie Harris has not only become the first locally-qualified lawyer to join the team in almost 60 years, but also the first female advocate to ever be appointed.

Whilst there are other (male and female) lawyers on the team, they are qualified in other jurisdictions outside of Jersey. Due to their roles being parts of the States structure rather than the Judicial structure, they do not meet the criteria to qualify locally without moving from their current posts – even if they’ve passed the exams.

All of Jersey’s law drafters are lawyers qualified in a Commonwealth jurisdiction, and the current team includes an Australian and a New Zealand lawyer as well as those who were called to the Bar in the UK.

Pictured: Jackie Harris (far right), and other advocates sworn in last week. (States Assembly)

The office’s role is to make laws which are: 

• “sufficiently unambiguous” so it can only be interpreted in the way it was intended;
• “sufficiently clear” so that it can be understood by all those who use it. 

Advocate Harris, who was already qualified before her new appointment, is joining as a trainee drafter and will be the first locally qualified advocate on the team since Jersey’s first Law Draftsman, Francis de Lisle Bois, was appointed in 1936.

He went on to be promoted to the role of Deputy Bailiff in 1962.

Commenting on the appointment, Principal Legislative Drafter Lucy Marsh-Smith, said: “The Legislative Drafting Office now encourages its drafters to study for the Jersey exams and hopes to continue to train locally qualified lawyers in future. 

“We recognise the value of understanding Jersey law in the context of drafting legislation for Jersey. I am delighted to have the skills and experience of Advocate Harris as a drafter in training.”