Attorney Nathalie Tackling
PHILIPSBURG--Attorney Nathalie Tackling has accepted an offer from Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) to take up the position of Minister of Justice in the incoming government, a portfolio the party received in the declaration-of-intent agreement signed with the new coalition government.
Tackling, who is the sitting chairperson of the Central Voting Bureau and attorney at her company Tackling Law, confirmed to “The Daily Herald” on Sunday that she has accepted the offer to become the new minister.
Asked what prompted her to take up the challenge, Tackling said her decision had been “multi-faceted,” but that “it feels like the right time to be able to serve the country and make a difference.” Tackling said she is “honoured at the opportunity and consideration from the party and was certainly unexpected on my part, but it feels like the right thing to do.”
According to Tackling’s LinkedIn Profile, the St. Maarten native has an extensive background in corporate and legislative law, and is versed in Dutch, European and US law. She obtained an LL.M. in Trade and Corporate Law from University of Maastricht (Netherlands) and an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law from George Washington University School of Law in Washington D.C. Her coursework and final thesis focused on biotechnology patents and how to fit human genes and DNA into the existing framework of intellectual property.
On her return to St. Maarten, Tackling started her career as a civil law litigator at a local firm. The following year, she joined the Corporate and Banking Unit of VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne, contributing her expertise to key cases on the Dutch Caribbean islands.
Since leaving the firm in 2016, she worked as a Legal Advisor at Raad van Advies (Council of Advice), one of the High Councils of State on St. Maarten. Her work there centred on providing professional feedback to the local government and Parliament on draft legislation, including drafting legislative advices and providing legal assistance on constitutional matters.
In addition to her work at the Council of Advice, one of her proud moments has been establishing the Saba Legal Aid Desk, which provides free legal advice to Saba residents, the first of its sort in the Dutch Caribbean.
Tackling founded Tackling Law in April 2019 and hopes to contribute her public and private sector experience to the community through a firm structured to provide service that optimises the social and economic environment in the best interest of its clients.
