Lawyer Monthly - October 2021 Edition

on their own or through a realtor, it is imperative that he or she is armed with an experienced and reliable real estate attorney who will assist them with legal contracts and title searches and will advise on deposits and best practices on the island. It may also be necessary to have a licensed valuer and quantity surveyor on the team. Are there any other factors that first-time buyers should consider? - Foreign buyers should be aware that – save for one or two exceptions – they will be required to obtain an Aliens Landholding Licence to purchase property on the island. The time for applying and processing such a licence as well as the time for processing any loan applications must be factored into the time frame for completing any sale. - Foreign buyers are advised as much as possible to raise financing in their home country. While mortgage loans can be obtained locally, it is a time-consuming and lengthy process. Michelle Anthony-Desir Founder, Athena Law 6 Brazil Street, Castries, Saint Lucia Tel: +1 758 452 5111 Email: mdesir@athenalawslu.com www.athenalawslu.com Can you tell us more about your journey into law? Growing up I had visions of being an archaeologist and having amazing adventures. I quickly realised that the scope for such a career was limited in the Caribbean. While I had had the experience of being educated outside of the Caribbean in my earlier years, what I did know was that I wanted to live and work in my home country. Ultimately, my journey into law was influenced by my desire for a career that would allow me the freedom to chart my own path as well as to provide various avenues for the practice of law. What motivated you to found your own firm? Athena Law was conceived on the idea that there had to be a better way to engage in the practice of law and to create and appreciate a different life experience. For me, Athena Law is part of my own personal journey to finding balance and focusing on aspects of the law that I really enjoy. Do you have a career goal that you would like to achieve in the coming 12 months? There are so many things I would like to do, but realistically speaking, time may not work in my favour. I would not describe it as a career goal, but the one thing I would love to do is to develop a podcast. I am working on a few concepts and ideally, I would want to launch it within the next twelve months. WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | OCT 2021 MY LEGAL LIFE - MICHELLE ANTHONY-DESIR About Michelle Anthony-Desir... ‘October marks the 25th anniversary of my call to the Bar in Saint Lucia. I am a fully trained West Indian attorney and I have practiced in Saint Lucia from the date of my call in 1996. My practice focuses on conveyancing, commercial and investment law and legacy planning., ‘At Athena Law our desire is to simplify complex legal journeys to make them more client-friendly and to create more efficient work flows and processes. The aim is that, through this type of collaboration, clients will feel more empowered to make decisions with clarity throughout the course of a legal matter.’ 20