Tessa Oudkerk was admitted to the Anguilla Bar on 29th April 2015 by Her Ladyship the Hon Justice Cheryl Mathurin. Ms. Oudkerk’s call to the Bar was moved by Mr. John Wigley of John Wigley & Associates and seconded by the former Registrar of the Anguilla Supreme Court, now of Hodge’s Law Office, Ms Patricia Harding. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales in November 2012 by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
Ms. Oudkerk approached the legal profession as a mature professional after obtaining a Master’s of Science Degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the Ukraine, where she became fluent in Russian, and qualifying and working as an educator at the Secondary, and Tertiary (University of Guyana) levels. She was also the founder of a learning centre in Guyana, offering subjects including CXC Computer Science, and Information Technology at CSEC and CAPE.
While pursuing her studies in law in England, Ms. Oudkerk successfully did a pro-bono employment law case. Upon completion of her studies, she benefited from a supervised two-month internship at the Central Criminal Court in London, the Old Bailey.
Ms. Oudkerk, former Head of the Information Technology Department at the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School, is known among the youth of Anguilla, not only as teacher, but as an Award Leader of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award programme, helping young people develop themselves by setting and achieving personal goals. She was instrumental in resuming the Award programme in 2010.
Ms. Oudkerk was trained, and will be practicing, at Caribbean Associated Attorneys (CAA), a Law Firm co-founded in 1997 by a well-known Caribbean jurist, now Supreme Court Judge of Belize, the Hon Justice Courtney Abel. She looks forward to embarking on her new career as a Barrister.
Press Release by Caribbean Associated Attorneys
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
