Driven by a love for God, for country, and for family and a strong desire to effect positive change within society, this week’s Young Professional, Chantal L. Flax, is an accomplished law student with an unsuspecting yet charming sense of adventure about her.

Chantal was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July, 2013 by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, to which she is a member. Photo: provided

She also confesses to having a daredevil side to her and having a sense of adventure. Photo: VINO

Chantal, seen here with her parents following her call to the Bar in the Virgin Islands, said she is also very family oriented and affable, enjoying the simpler things in life, such as quality time with her loved ones who have been overwhelmingly supportive to her throughout her entire educational journey. Photo: VINO/File

Our Young Professional has devoted much of her time to voluntary work, particularly in the areas of representation and domestic violence, in the belief that community involvement is invaluable and pivotal to social change. Photo: VINO

Chantal told Virgin Islands News Online that from as early as age six, she held a desire to become a lawyer and related that she was quite argumentative during her formative years.

Born and raised in Road Town, she attended St George’s Primary and the former BVI High School before studying Human Services at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC), where she graduated with Summa Cum Laude and was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honour Society. She studied Law at the University of Warwick for three years where she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree (Hons.). Our Young Professional also attended the University of the West of England, Bristol where she did the Bar professional training course.

Our Young Professional was called to the Bar of England and Wales in July, 2013 by the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, to which she is a member. She was also called to the Bar in the Virgin Islands just a few weeks ago in September, 2013.

She attends St George’s Episcopal Anglican Church where she was a liturgical dancer and former member of the youth choir and is now a member of the gospel choir of the church. Chantal co-hosts a religious radio programme (The Quiet Heart) with her mother.

Our Young Professional readily admits to being a shy and quiet individual. “It’s funny, because I don’t think that you’d easily associate that kind of personality with a lawyer,” she said, “in my profession it requires me to step out of my personality and to take on a different role.”

Chantal related that she is often misjudged because of her personality which she says people tend to mistakenly associate with her as being unapproachable. She revealed that often, and quite to the contrary, persons realise after meeting her that she is pretty ‘down to earth’.

“I have a slight daredevil side to me. I like to do adventurous things.” Riding ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicles), climbing a waterfall, para-sailing, eating exotic food and sharing a love for travel are just a few of the things she has enjoyed doing in her spare time. Chantal lists Mexico, Venezuela, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, the United Kingdom and the United States among her travels.

“I like experiencing new cultures, new food and meeting new people,” she added.

On a calmer note, she admitted to being very family oriented and affable, enjoying the simpler things in life, such as quality time with her loved ones who have been overwhelmingly supportive to her throughout her entire educational journey. She has also devoted much of her time to voluntary work, particularly in the areas of representation and domestic violence, in the belief that community involvement is invaluable and pivotal to social change.

While noting that she was influenced and affected by a growing level of crime, especially violent crime involving youth in the Virgin Islands over the years, Chantal said she wanted to make a change. “I’m from the BVI, this is my home,” she stated.

During her training in the courtroom, Chantal related that she has managed to pack a punch on several occasions, which is surprising when one considers her petite stature and soft spoken voice. According to Chantal, her young age and small physique has often required her to prove herself in various instances. But this is a challenge she has continuously overcome.

Being in a courtroom as an attorney requires one to project their voice and speak with assurance and this is one area where our Young Professional hasn’t been shy.

“Students would see me in class, and you get the shy quiet personality and I guess they assumed that I would be ‘easy’ when it came to training,” she related.

It is no Jekyll and Hyde bit she assured, “To be effective as a lawyer, it requires me to be assertive, it requires me to be confident and even though I may be shy on the inside, I am able to portray assertiveness and conviction,” she said. Chantal explained that this aspect of her personality has seen her through several mock trials and has shocked many persons during her course of study.

Expressing a strong inclination towards criminal law, Chantal said that in essence, she is required to sell herself, “people look at the way you carry yourself, the way you speak… and they decide whether you’re fit to represent them. My casual personality is one thing and as a professional I have to be something else so I become that self-assured person,” she explained.

During her studies in law overseas, Chantal related that she fell in love with criminal law even more as this is the arena she imagined entering after observing the escalating crime level at home. This love was further reaffirmed while she worked with the law firm of McW Todman & Co.

Studying criminal law at one point conflicted with Chantal’s strong religious beliefs, but she eventually reconciled these reservations when she grew to realise that her spiritual morals didn’t have much place in the legal profession. However, she was quick to state that this does not vitiate the role of professional ethics in law. “Everyone is entitled to representation,” she said while noting that a biblical scripture alludes to this in stating that one is required to do justice.

Our Young Professional is currently in the waiting stage with regard to entering the workforce and disclosed that she has a desire to work with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) which would set her in firm footing towards her ultimate goal of becoming a criminal justice practitioner. However, she remains open to venturing into other areas of legal employment and gracefully making her way into her specific aspiration.

Chantal disclosed that she is also a qualified mediator, wherein she is required to reconcile disputes between two parties, bringing a resolution that is favourable to both parties as a neutral component outside of a courtroom setting.

Our Young Professional reasoned that many things are required for one to become a successful lawyer including a good listening ear and the ability to think and work on your feet while speaking eloquently and in a convincing manner. She also considers the ability to feel comfortable in one’s own skin and to feel comfortable in hearing your own voice as well as silence as golden attributes.

She advises youth that they should always put God at the centre of their lives as everything else will follow in due time, and to find a mantra or positive quote that empowers themselves, as she does herself on a daily basis.