Jamaican drafts legacy in Commonwealth

Jamaican attorney-at-law Michelle Daley has ascended to the presidency of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Council (CALC), marking a significant milestone for the Caribbean and for representation within the Commonwealth's legislative drafting sphere. Daley is the first Caribbean national, the first Black woman, and the first individual from a small island developing state to lead the organization.

Her election, which took place at the CALC conference in Singapore last month, follows nine years of dedicated service in executive positions within the association, including two two-year terms as vice-president. This achievement comes at a time when the Commonwealth faces a 'chronic' deficit of legislative drafters, a challenge Daley aims to address during her tenure.

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If we don’t systematically and strategically look at ensuring that we provide continuing legal professional development, then our drafters will go where they think they can find it.

Daley, now a full-time consultant drafter operating her own company, has extensive experience drafting legislation for various jurisdictions. She highlighted the critical need for systematic and strategic professional development to retain legislative drafters, noting that the shortage is global but particularly poignant in the Caribbean. "If we don’t systematically and strategically look at ensuring that we provide continuing legal professional development, then our drafters will go where they think they can find it," she told The Gleaner, explaining that small island nations often have limited drafting resources.

CALC connects legislative drafting professionals from nearly 80 jurisdictions, facilitating the sharing of best practices. Daley's priority will be to bring greater awareness to the issues affecting member countries, especially those in small island developing states that face unique challenges in training and retaining drafting talent. The election process involved online voting, allowing all eligible members across the Commonwealth to participate, regardless of their physical attendance at the conference.

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This meeting brought together all the legislative drafters from around the Commonwealth. Similarly to what happened when we had the conference in Jamaica two years ago, so we would have had, in Singapore, over 40 countries represented.