This Jamacian Woman Attained The World’s Highest Score In Bar Exam For Lawyers

Jo-Anne Jackson-Stephens, a Jamaica-born associate at Higgs & Johnson in the Cayman Islands, recently received a STEP excellence award for achieving the highest mark in the world on the Company Law and Practice exam. Jackson-Stephens, who has been with Higgs & Johnson since October 2015, said that she was ecstatic but grateful when she heard the news.

“I was competing with very smart and capable people from across the world including the UK, Europe and the Caribbean,” she said. “It demonstrates that hard work and dedication are truly the keys to success.” Jackson-Stephens - a past student of Immaculate Conception High in St Andrew and the daughter of economist John Jackson - completed her law degree at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and Barbados before going on to receive her CLE at the Norman Manley Law School in 2006 and her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Oxford in 2012.

Her desire to enter the legal profession stemmed from her passion for problem solving. “I wanted the challenge of finding wealth management solutions for my clients in an ever changing legal and regulatory global environment,” she said. Alasdair Robertson, President of the Cayman Islands Law Society, said, “It is great to see the hard work and dedication of a Cayman Islands practitioner being recognized on such a high-profile and global scale. This further demonstrates the quality of lawyers we employ and produce here in the Cayman Islands.”

STEP, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, is a worldwide professional association with over 20,000 members in 95 countries and consists mainly of trust and estate attorneys, accountants and trust specialists. Becoming a member of STEP gives lawyers the TEP designation and allows them to be considered among the most experienced and senior practitioners in the field of trusts and estates. Applicants are required to take a number of exams or prepare papers for presentation. “It is important for any notable trust attorney to possess the TEP designation,” Jackson-Stephens said.

This is how people reacted to this post:

Matthew Frederickson - I can assure all of you this young woman worked hard, extremely hard extremely dedicated and reached a goal unattained by most anyone in her chosen profession! Wow! A job well done you deserve all of our respect and admiration for what you accomplished

Alice Holt - Congratulations Beautiful Brilliant intelligent Queen. This amazing career path will help positively change lives Thanks you cholt

Sandra Latson-davis - Fantastic job; congratulations!!!! There us nothing a Black person can not do if they try. Stand tall and strong my sister!!!!! So very proud of you!!!!!! Hats off to you!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations again

Linda Miller - I have a nephew who scored a perfect score on the Bar Exam! This is great for her, but there are others who have also, but don’t get the fame!

Tracy White - Africans/blks invented the history of the world and everything in it…so all these posts bout the first blk doing this and doing that first in this century…is only valid if u look through the prism of white supremacy…we invented intelligence…period But im very proud that she did wat was inside of her

Frank Jasper - What does that tell you we don't need to bribe anyone just stop holding we the people to your stupid ways we are are the world they been telling you for years get on the train!!

This Article Was First Published on loopjamaica.com