Kennedy named chief of Law Revision Commission

Heather L. Kennedy officially began work as the new executive director of the Law Revision Commission last week, bringing an assortment of legal experiences to her new position.

Kennedy spent the last year-and-a-half working as a staff attorney with the commission.

As its new head, Kennedy and her colleagues will study local law in order to make recommendations on how to simplify, clarify and modernize CNMI statutes. Kennedy will also oversee the commission’s various legal publications, and work toward enhancing its electronic legal database, which includes a comprehensive, searchable CD-ROM of local laws and agency regulations.

Before joining the commission, Kennedy worked as legal counsel to the CNMI Public School System and Board of Education for more than seven years.

Kennedy is licensed to practice law in North Carolina, Missouri, and the CNMI. She began her legal career working as an assistant public defender in Charlotte, North Carolina. Thereafter, she worked as a corporate litigation attorney in a large law firm in St. Louis, Missouri. Kennedy and her husband moved to Saipan in 1999, where they have had two children.

Kennedy says she is pleased with her new role, saying, “I look forward to continuing to provide the CNMI community with access to CNMI laws and quality legal publications. I welcome comment from community members to enhance our products and improve access to CNMI law through the Law Revision Commission website, www. cnmilaw.org.”

Chief Justice Miguel Demapan stated that after reviewing applications from a number of qualified candidates, Kennedy’s distinguished track record set her apart.

“Heather has brought intelligence, innovation, and quality work product at every stop in her legal career,” he said. “Heather has been an extremely valuable asset to both the Law Revision Commission and the judiciary over the last year-and-a-half. I can safely speak on behalf of the entire Court system in saying we are all delighted that she’s willing to assume her new role as executive director.”

Kennedy replaces Naomi Lujan-Gonzales, who relocated to Guam in August.

Several of the commission’s legal publications are available for purchase and can be found at www.cnmilaw.org or by calling 236-9820.

The commission, an independent judiciary agency, is responsible for compiling, editing, and codifying all of the CNMI’s laws, which includes statutes, judicial opinions, and regulations to provide the public with a highly-organized and readily-accessible database of CNMI laws.[B][I] (PR)[/I][/B]