Late chief justice’s daughter is newest NMI Bar member

Attorney Frances “Frannie” Demapan, the newest NMI Bar member, in a group photo with Chief Justice Alexandro Castro, her family, relatives, and friends during her oath taking on Friday at the CNMI Supreme Court. As daughter of the late Chief Justice Miguel Demapan, Frannie becomes the first child from a judge/chief justice in the CNMI to become a lawyer. (Ferdie de la Torre)

Frances “Frannie” Demapan took her oath as the newest NMI Bar member on Friday at the CNMI Supreme Court, where her late father Miguel Demapan served as chief justice.

“I’m done with my education. Mom, I’ll come back here to take care of you,” the tearful Frances Demapan told her mother, Francesca Tenorio Demapan, in her emotional speech.

Chief Justice Alexandro Castro administered the attorney’s oath for Demapan during the ceremony attended by her family, relatives, and friends.

Demapan, 27, is the first child from a judge/chief justice in the CNMI to become a lawyer.

Demapan said her parents encouraged her to keep fighting and keep pushing.

She remembered that two months after her father passed away, she went to law school.

Demapan thanked the CNMI Judiciary particularly Castro because she feels that she is the product of their outreach program.

Demapan acknowledged she is a second generation of local lawyers or the “second wave” of local lawyers.

Demapan finished law school in May last year at the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law.

She took and passed the Bar in Hawaii in November 2015. She took the CNMI Bar in February 2015 and passed.

Demapan is currently working at a private law firm in Hawaii. She is planning to come back to the CNMI this August to work in the government.

In an interview, Demapan said the NMI Bar examination was a little bit more difficult because it’s all handwritten.

“But I didn’t have to do the multiple choice. I only had to do one day of exam instead of two days,” she said.

Demapan said she couldn’t do the traditional path of going straight to law school because after college she worked for two years.

She said she needed that two years to kind of grow up and realize what she really wanted.

Demapan worked as language arts teacher at Kagman High School in 2010 to 2011. She then worked as marketing manager/buyer at J.C. Tenorio Enterprises in 2011 to 2012.

Demapan said she applied for law school and then focused on it.

Demapan’s mother is very happy and proud of her.

“She’s decided to come home. It’s always been my dream for her to come home and then eventually kind of help out with the growth of the CNMI,” Frances Demapan said.

She said it is just so nice for these young attorneys to come home and serve.

Frannie Demapan finished kindergarten to 8th grade at Saipan Community Church. She continued her studies at Punahou School in Hawaii and at New York University. She obtained Juris Doctorate Degree in 2015 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law.

Demapan served as staff editor/managing editor for Asian-Pacific Law and Policy Journal from 2013 to 2015.