Micheal Bradley

(CNS): Former Cayman Islands Attorney General  Michael Bradley, QC, passed away in the UK on Monday, 22 February, aged 76. His legal career spanned 46 years, including significant public sector roles in the UK, Africa and the Caribbean. As Cayman’s Attorney General between 1982 and 1987, he led efforts to fine-tune and consolidate legislation that would advance the Islands’’ financial industry by  attracting new business, catering to market demands and adapting to changing trends.

Soon after assuming his role as Attorney General, Cabinet (then known as Executive Committee or ExCo ) took Bradley’s advice to establish the Cayman Islands Law Reports. Since then, Cayman has published local cases, thereby building case histories for reference purposes.

The reports have proven useful, both for the practice of law and for maintaining the reputation of Cayman’s financial industry.

Bradley also left an indelible mark as Cayman’s first Law Revision Commissioner, from 1994 until his retirement in October 2009. He was a natural choice for the position since in 1993, the UK had identified him as the British Dependent Territories law reform and law revision consultant.

As commissioner, he consolidated Cayman’s existing laws by incorporating amendments, annually updating them on the statutes. He further compiled annual revisions to the Consolidated Index of Laws to reflect laws passed, updates to the Constitution and UK statutory instruments applicable or relevant to Cayman.

Prior to his Cayman years, Bradley had acquired considerable legal expertise in several other jurisdictions. He was state counsel in Malawi; senior, and then chief parliamentary draftsman in Botswana, and UN legal adviser toAntigua’s government.

In addition, as an officer of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), he served as regional legal draftsman to the governments of the Eastern Caribbean.

Stints as attorney general followed, first in the British Virgin Islands, then the Turks and Caicos Islands and again in Montserrat, prior to his acceptance of the same position in Cayman.

Afterwards, Bradley served for six years as Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Also of note during his extended career, his role as the FCO’s Constitutional Adviser for the British Overseas Territories saw him play an integral part in UK-Cayman negotiations for developingthe new Constitution that was adopted last year.

Between 2005 and 2009, Bradley was also a member of the UK delegation that negotiated new constitutions for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Gibraltar, the British Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands, as well as St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. Montserrat’s is yet to be completed.

Attorney General Samuel Bulgin,  said that Michael Bradley will be greatly missed in Cayman’s government, legal and financial circles. Lauding him as an invaluable resource who made “excellent” contributions. “His passing really creates a void. Mr. Bradley provided much-needed continuity, putting into context references from the eighties to the present day. He made it easier to obtain a panoramic perspective about Cayman Islands’ government Legal framework.," Bulgin said.

“On a personal level, I always found him a good mentor, genial, supportive and full of life. If called upon, he unhesitatingly offered encouraging comments, advice and guidance,”

Bulgin extended condolences to Bradley’s wife of 45 years, Patricia Bradley, author of a definitive book on birds of the Cayman Islands.