PHILIPSBURG:--- On October 21st, 2024, the Department of Community Development, Family and Humanitarian Affairs (CDFHA) an execution department within the Ministry of VSA, hosted a focus group with local legal professionals to discuss the initiative proposed by Member of Parliament Ms. Sjamira Roseburg, who was also present, to offer legal support services to persons in need within the communities of Sint Maarten. The initiative was endorsed by VSA Minister Veronica Jansen-Webster, with the aim to lower the threshold of engagement with legal professionals and make legal services more accessible to the community.
The launch of the service, originally scheduled for September 2024, was delayed due to challenges expressed by the legal community. These challenges needed to be thoroughly addressed to ensure the highest standard of service deserving of the Sint Maarten people. The focus group was organized to find viable solutions that would help guide the way forward.
The implementation plan was presented to determine its feasibility and to hear from the legal professionals if they had any concerns or suggestions on how the service could best be provided. There was a lively exchange of valuable ideas and information that needed to be considered. This resulted in the identification of various ways in which the legal professionals could serve the public in a convenient and effective manner.
An outreach campaign will be launched to seek additional legal professionals who are interested in contributing to the program and determine in which ways they would be willing to collaborate. The structure of the legal support services will then be developed accordingly and officially presented for use by the public. CDFHA remains dedicated to offering the best quality of services possible and is enthusiastic about providing accessible legal support services to the people of Sint Maarten.
