Dancia Penn OBE
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Work Department
Position
ADMITTED TO PRACTICE (THE VIRGIN ISLANDS): 1981
YEAR OF QC: 1996
ARBITRATOR AND MEDIATOR
IntroductionDancia is a lawyer in active practice. She is a former Attorney General of The Virgin Islands and became Queen’s Counsel in 1996. Her legal experience includes contentious and non-contentious matters in corporate and commercial law including financial services, insolvency, dispute resolution, regulatory matters as well as a wide range of other areas of private law, including trusts and estates, and public law.
Dancia regularly advises and assists clients in BVI, in the Caribbean, United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Far East on matters of BVI law. She appears in the High Court and the Commercial Court in major commercial disputes. She has appeared in the Courts at all levels including the Privy Council.
Dancia works as an Arbitrator and is a qualified Mediator on The Roster of the Mediators of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. She regularly sits as Chair or Member of various Ad Hoc Tribunals and also represents parties before them. Recently she was appointed to a four-year term as a member of The Caribbean Community Administrative Tribunal (CCAT). This is a body set up by the Caribbean Community to hear and determine claims by employees of Commonwealth Caribbean Public Institutions. She is also Co-Founder of Caribbean Arbitrators.
Dancia has the unique distinction of serving at the highest levels in all three branches of Government – Executive, Legislative and Judicial – and working prominently in the private sector of the legal profession in The Virgin Islands, and beyond.
January 2012 -– Present Private practice of law based in The Virgin Islands - Head of Chambers Dancia Penn & Co August 2007 – November 2011 Member of the First House of Assembly of The Virgin Islands August 2007 - November 2011 First Deputy Premier, Minister of Health, Social Development and Gender of The Virgin Islands Member of The First National Security Council of The Virgin Islands Regional Representative for Women Parliamentarians of Caribbean, Atlantic and Americas on Commonwealth Women’s Parliamentary Association April – July 2007 Justice of Appeal (Acting), Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Sept 2004 – March 2007 Deputy Governor of The Virgin Islands Executive position under The Virgin Islands Constitution that supports and facilitates the Governor of The Virgin Islands in the Governor’s constitutional functions which include oversight of external affairs, defence, internal security, administration of the courts, general elections and disaster preparedness and the Public Service and its management. September 2000 – September 2004 Head of Chambers, Dancia Penn & Co. A well-established boutique law firm in The Virgin Islands founded in 1984, with a strong local and international client base and a practice concentrating primarily on civil and commercial matters and dispute resolution. Mrs. Penn was involved in major commercial litigation as well as marketing of the jurisdiction with private clients in Europe and the Far East. 1999 - Admitted of the Bar of Barbados 1996 - Appointed Queen’s Counsel 1999 - Admitted of the Bar of Barbados 1996 - Appointed Queen’s Counsel 1992 - 1999 Attorney General of The Virgin Islands/Director of Public Prosecutions Member of Executive Council (now Cabinet) as well as Legislative Council (now House of Assembly). At the time, the Attorney General was also Director of Public Prosecutions. Tenure as Attorney General coincided with a period of marked growth and expansion of the financial services sector of The Virgin Islands. Involved in formulation of the policy, and the drafting and enactment of much of the legislation which is today the backbone of the financial services industry in The Virgin Islands. In addition, responsible for drafting and piloting through the Legislative Council of legislation which amended and codified the criminal laws of The Virgin Islands, as well as legislation for the social sector. Functioned as Central Authority for International Cooperation matters under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States and under the Proceeds of Criminal Conduct Act Served as Chairman of The Caribbean Financial action Task (CFATF) - This is the Caribbean arm of the Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), the prominent Anti- Money Laundering Agency in the Caribbean Represented The Virgin Islands in several regional, Commonwealth and International Conferences and Fora 1984 -1992 Private Practice of Law. Founder and Head of Chambers, Dancia Penn and Co. 1982 - Appointed Notary Public 1981 - Admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in The Virgin Islands. 1981 - 1984 Legal Assistant (now Crown Counsel) and Senior Crown Counsel, Attorney General’s Chambers, The Virgin Islands 1973 - 1975 Graduate Teacher – History and Spanish, The Virgin Islands High School 1975 - 1976 Administrative Officer, Office of the Chief Minister (now Premier)In England and Wales, Dancia is an arbitrator and mediator and provides arbitration and mediation services; Dancia is not a barrister in England and Wales.