PHILIPSBURG:--- Daniëlla Engelhardt, admitted to the Sint Maarten bar on 28 March 2014, is the newest addition to VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne's expanding St. Maarten team.
Daniëlla grew up in Curacao and started her legal studies in the Netherlands in 2007. She had a clear goal: to return home to the Caribbean, and work at an internationally oriented law firm. Her drive was unmistakable throughout her studies, when she, amongst other things, interned at a Curacao law firm, worked as a paralegal at a Dutch law firm and clerked at the Haarlem Court.
Esther Jansen, office director of VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne, explains why the firm is thrilled with this newest addition to the team: "The Dutch Caribbean needs ambitious professionals who understand the local market. But local talent often opts for a career abroad after graduating. Returning home is sometimes (indefinitely) delayed, because local talent incorrectly assumes that local opportunities and career prospects, are limited. Our firm offers a dynamic and challenging career. We serve international and local clients at the highest end of the market, allowing for ample opportunity for growth, development, and training of our lawyers, in an incomparable Caribbean atmosphere. Daniëlla is an example a young talented professional, who has considered her options carefully and who chose to come home, tangibly helping our community reverse the brain drain it faces."
Daniëlla says: "I have been preparing for my career as a lawyer for a long time. It was a conscious choice to realize my ambitions at home, surrounded by my loved ones. Working as a lawyer on a small, but extremely international and culturally diverse island like St. Maarten, provides unparalleled opportunities that I am very grateful for. Moreover, I am doing what I love, at a firm that works in five jurisdictions and that assists international clients at the highest end of the market. I could not wish for anything more, and now that I have been admitted to the bar, the real work can begin!"
