A Vincentian lawyer residing in Brooklyn says “determination” has been among factors in helping him to overcome challenges in the legal profession.
Dr. Eversley Linley, who has been practicing law since 2013, told Caribbean Life, in an exclusive interview over the weekend, that “determination, belief in one’s self, some money saved and family assistance” have helped him tremendously in addressing myriad challenges.
He said “money, money, money and studying for the bar” have been among his challenges in pursuing the legal profession.
“It is not uncommon to find attorneys still paying off their law school loans/expenses,” Dr. Linley said. “Financially, it can be a very tight rope; but, eventually, you will start to see the light.”
Linley said he has been practicing law as a document review contract attorney in corporate litigation in Manhattan for the past three years.
He said he has worked on numerous multi-national, international anti-trust, intellectual property, and mergers and accusation cases.
A native of Sion Hill, a large village overlooking Kingstown, the Vincentian capital, Linley said he was granted an athletic scholarship in 1988 to the University of Idaho, which led to a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Regional Development and Planning.
He subsequently received his Ph.D. in Political Science/Public Administration, with an emphasis on Planning and Business Law, from the same university.
During that period, Dr. Linley said he worked as an assistant project analyst and an Adjunct Professor in Political Science.
Later, he pursued law, graduating from the Massachusetts School of Law in 2011.
Linley said he became an attorney in the state of Connecticut in 2013, focusing on legal referrals and legal consulting.
During his professional experience, Linley said he has primarily focused on International Law and Business Law.
He said he decided to study law while working on his Ph.D.
“I found myself in the company of lawyers and judges at the University of Idaho, working on a several college policy programs, hence the urge to take the plunge into the field of law,” Linley said.
The former student-athlete at the University of Idaho said he “had the opportunity” to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
He still holds the national record at the 800 meters in both the indoors and outdoors event.
In addition to practicing law, Linley disclosed that he has been working on a “blue print outline-rollout proposal to address legislative action on marijuana in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean.”
When asked what message he has for young people aspiring to become a lawyer, he said: “It’s possibly doable if you have the will and the drive to do it.
“In law school, a key value to possess is the ability to write and communicate well,” he said.” If you can excel in this area, it helps tremendously.”
Linley added that the legal profession is “not all Perry Mason or Hollywood, as it appears on television, because you have a responsibility of due diligence and a fiduciary duty to your client(s), because the profession demands it.
“On the other hand, the rewards can out-way and offset the negative elements,” Linley, however, said.
