A graduate of the Law Faculty of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Lynne-Marie Simmons obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree with Second-Class honours in 1994. Two years later, she obtained the Certificate of the Council of Legal Education from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad. Lynne-Marie returned to Barbados and was admitted to practise as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Barbados in October 1996. She was employed as the first in-house attorney for Colybrand Company Services Limited, the corporate and trust company being a subsidiary of Coopers & Lybrand (now trading as PWC).

During her tenure with Colybrand, Lynne-Marie was accepted to read for a Master of Laws degree at King’s College, London. In 1997, she moved to London to pursue further learning in Civil Practice and Procedure, Principles of Taxation, Intellectual Property and International and Comparative Trust Law. She excelled in her studies and was awarded a Master of Laws degree with Merit in 1998.

On graduating from King’s College, Lynne-Marie secured a solicitor’s training contract with the prestigious London-based firm of Charles Russell Solicitors (now Charles Russell Speechlys). During her two years with the firm, she held a seat in the Lloyds Insurance Litigation Department and then in the Private Client Department.

Ever the perpetual student, Lynne-Marie enrolled at the BPP Law School where she successfully completed the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test. She was admitted to practise as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in September 2000. She continues to be on the Roll of Solicitors of the Law Society of England and Wales as a non-practising solicitor.

In 2001, Lynne-Marie was canvassed, once again, to return to work for another PWC-affiliated company, this time in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. As Senior Manager of the Corporate and Trust Department of Abacus Trust and Management Services Limited (Abacus), she provided advisory services to a diverse portfolio of corporate and trust clients both locally and offshore. In April 2001, Lynne-Marie was admitted to practise as a Barrister-at-Law of the Supreme Court of the Eastern Caribbean in the territory of the British Virgin Islands.

In 2002, having completed the Foundation Course in Compliance Risk Management, she became an Associate Member of the Compliance Institute (UK). That same year, Lynne-Marie was designated to act as Abacus’ Compliance Officer, in accordance with the provisions of the British Virgin Islands Anti-Money Laundering Code of Practice 2001. In her capacity as a Compliance Practitioner, Lynne-Marie was also a Founder Member and past Legislative Chair of the Association of Compliance Officers and Practitioners of the British Virgin Islands.

Lynne-Marie joined the BVI Chapter of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) in 2002 as an Associate Member and acted as its Membership and Training Secretary. She would later become a Full Member of STEP in 2007.

Lynne-Marie left Abacus in 2003 to head the Corporate and Trust department of ATU General Trust (BVI) Limited/VP Bank (BVI) Limited. Together with her staff, she oversaw the maintenance of a portfolio of over 3,000 IBCs and 40 trusts.

In late 2004, she returned to Barbados and established a boutique practice specialising in corporate, commercial, property and immigration matters. In 2009, Lynne-Marie completed the Professional Mediator Certification Course with Kennesaw State University. She continues to advance her knowledge and skills-set in ADR and successfully completed training courses in Barbados and Jamaica including the JIPS Advanced Mediation Course, and the Advanced Training Course for Court-Connected Mediators.

A member of the ADR Association of Barbados, Lynne-Marie is actively involved in that organisation. She was one of the first group of professional Mediators to participate in the Supreme Court of Barbados’ Court-Annexed Mediation Pilot Project. As part of that project, Lynne-Marie has successfully mediated matters at the Magistrate’s Court and High Court levels and privately. She was appointed as a Mediator of the Supreme Court of Barbados in November 2015.

Lynne-Marie is a licenced Corporate and Trust Services Provider and is actively involved in the international business and financial sectors. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Barbados Branch of STEP and is the former Chair of the Barbados Bar Association’s Sub-Committee on International Business. In August 2018, Lynne-Marie was appointed by the Hon. Mia Mottley, Q.C., M.P, Prime Minister of Barbados, to be a director of the Barbados International Business Promotion Corporation (‘Invest Barbados’), an economic development agency of the Government responsible for attracting and sustaining international investment for Barbados.