Three lawyers of VANEPS have been sworn in this month by the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten and of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba: starting attorneys Tiffany de Palm, experienced lawyer Aubrich Bakhuis and experienced attorney at law Roderik van Hees.
Tiffany de Palm was born and raised in Curaçao and studied Law at the University of Tilburg. As a student, she was an intern for six months at the Land Registry in Curaçao. Tiffany started at VANEPS two months ago. Corporate Law appeals to her more than expected and her ambition is to develop her skills within this legal area. Taking the oath was an important event for her: “It is after all the moment that I have been preparing for for years and what I always wanted to achieve. Before leaving Curaçao to study law in the Netherlands, I was already determined to return and find a job here after graduation. I’m happy that I have succeeded so quickly.”
Aubrich Bakhuis, who partly grew up in Curaçao, studied Constitutional Law and Administrative Law at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and is a PhD candidate in Caribbean Constitutional and Administrative Law at the same university. In anticipation of the approaching presentation of his thesis, Aubrich returned to Curaçao to continue his career as an attorney at law. At VANEPS, Aubrich works in the section Litigation & Commercial, where he uses his constitutional and administrative experience and advises governments. “Taking the oath was a special moment for me. I am happy that I can now actually plead in matters in court!”
Roderik van Hees started at VANEPS in September and is specialized in dispute resolution in the field of Corporate Law and Contract Law. Roderik started his career in 2008 at Dutch firm NautaDutilh and switched to specialized litigation firm Lemstra Van der Korst after two years. Regarding joining VANEPS in Curaçao, he states: “I have found the best of two worlds here. As a litigator, I can proceed with my career here at the same high level as I did in the Netherlands. On the other hand, I have always had the ambition to work and live abroad. On taking the oath, Roderik remarks: “It was special to be sworn in in Curaçao as well, after being sworn in in the Netherlands. In addition, it was nice to share this experience with two of my new colleagues.”