BVI Crown Counsel Awarded OECS Scholarship
British Virgin Islands Crown Counsel J’Nae Janiqué Hopkins has been named a recipient of the 2026 Nicole Sylvester Memorial Scholarship by the OECS Bar Association. The prestigious award recognizes her professional excellence in public law and commitment to public service. The scholarship enables young Caribbean attorneys to attend the Annual Regional Law Conference.
ROAD TOWN, Tortola — British Virgin Islands attorney J’Nae Janiqué Hopkins has been selected as one of two recipients of the 2026 Nicole Sylvester Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Bar Association. Hopkins, who serves as Crown Counsel in the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers in the Virgin Islands, received the award alongside fellow practitioner Jessica Zouetr of Antigua and Barbuda.
The scholarship recognizes emerging legal professionals who demonstrate high standards of professional excellence, leadership potential, community service, and active engagement with their local bar associations. Hopkins was admitted to practise before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in 2022.
She earned her Bachelor of Laws with honours from The University of the West Indies and obtained her Legal Education Certificate from the Eugene Dupuch Law School in The Bahamas. Committed to expanding her expertise in public sector governance, she is currently pursuing a Master of Laws in Public Law at The University of the West Indies Mona Campus.
Her advanced studies closely mirror her day-to-day responsibilities within the BVI Attorney General’s Chambers, where she focuses on public law matters and advises on legal issues affecting the territory. According to the OECS Bar Association, Hopkins has built a commendable practice while demonstrating a clear dedication to public service and ongoing professional development.
The annual scholarship pays tribute to the late Nicole O.M. Sylvester, a pioneering attorney from St. Vincent and the Grenadines who became both the youngest and the first female president of the OECS Bar Association. Sylvester, who passed away in 2015, founded the first Law Fair and coordinated its initial nine editions before it evolved into the modern Regional Law Conference in 2014.
By receiving the award, Hopkins will attend the upcoming Annual Regional Law Conference, gaining the opportunity to collaborate and network with senior jurists and fellow practitioners across the Eastern Caribbean while representing the Virgin Islands on the regional stage.
Primary source: Guavaberry