Suzanne Bothwell

The Office of the Deputy Governor has confirmed that Court Administrator and Chief Officer of the Law Courts Suzanne Bothwell has resigned from the civil service, with effect 31 December 2024.

Mrs Bothwell, who has given 24 years of exemplary service to the Cayman Islands Government stated that she has enjoyed her years of service with the government and the opportunity to work alongside many dedicated and hard-working civil servants. “I appreciated that I was able to serve both the government and the community in the interest of justice, which is a core pillar of our democracy and critical to the good governance of our islands,” she said.

She started her career in 2000 as Crown Counsel with the Portfolio of Legal Affairs.  In 2007 she was promoted to senior crown counsel and was a senior litigator in areas of judicial review, immigration, planning, anti-money laundering restraint and confiscation, international parental child abduction, family law, constitutional law and public employment law.

From 2007 to 2009, she was seconded from her substantive post to assume the post of Director of the Constitutional Review Secretariat with responsibility for implementing the government’s constitutional reform programme, resulting in the coming into force of the Cayman Islands Constitutional Order, 2009.

Between 2012 to 2017, Mrs Bothwell held the position of Deputy Supervisor of Elections having previously acted as the Elections Office legal counsel for a number of years. 

In 2016, she was appointed Court Administrator and Chief Officer for the Law Courts with the Chief Justice’s mandate of introducing innovation through the use of technology to improve court services in furtherance of efficient and effective administration of justice.

During her tenure, Mrs Bothwell led in the implementation of a suite of online court services that served to improve the court user experience. These included online access to court searches and unreported judgments, electronic filing of court documents, online payment of traffic tickets and direct bank transfer of maintenance funds to recipients. Many of these online services were key during the during the COVID-19 pandemic as they facilitated continued court operations without significant delays or interruptions.

As a Court Administrator, she also oversaw the acquisition of an additional building to the court campus and the construction of two new digital court rooms, increasing the court’s capacity to hold hearings including the Court of Appeal and a special sitting of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 2022.

Deputy Governor Honourable Franz Manderson has expressed his gratitude to Mrs Bothwell noting that her journey from an accomplished attorney-at-law to a chief officer, exemplifies an unparalleled 
commitment to excellence and public service. “Throughout Mrs Bothwell’s tenure, she has consistently demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and an unwavering dedication to making lives better. Her leadership has been pivotal in driving innovation within our law courts, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of efficiency and accessibility in the administration of justice,” he stated. 

He further thanked her for her investment in the growth and development of her team. “By championing training and development initiatives, you have nurtured a culture of continuous learning and empowerment, leaving a lasting legacy that will benefit the organisation and its people for years to come.”

While Mrs. Bothwell has left the civil service, she continues to sit as an Acting Magistrate with the Law Courts.