Hernandez now chief magistrate as Foldats retires

(CNS): Angelyn Hernandez has been appointed as the chief magistrate following the retirement of Valdis Foldats after three years in the post. Foldats was appointed as acting magistrate in 1996 and as magistrate of the Summary Court in 2011. As chief magistrate, he advocated for a holistic approach to justice and nurtured collaborative relationships with the criminal justice stakeholder agencies.

These included the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Community Rehabilitation, the Department of Counselling Services, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the RCIPS and HM Royal Prison Service.

In a release about his retirement and the appointment of the new chief magistrate, Foldats praised all these government entities for the work they do to support the courts and to ensure the proper administration of justice. He thanked his colleagues, court staff and members of the stakeholder agencies for the support they had given him over the years, and said there was much more to the court system than what occurs within its four walls.

He said it had “been a pleasure” working with Hernandez over the years. “Her integrity, expertise and commitment to our judicial system are unmatched,” he said.

Hernandez, who was admitted to the Cayman Islands Bar in 1992, became an acting magistrate in 2014 and a full-time magistrate in 2018. According to the release, she brings to the role extensive legal experience in both the public sector as crown counsel and in the private sector.

She was managing partner at Quin and Hampson until it was acquired by Mourant, and then ran her own practice before accepting an invitation to sit as magistrate. In this role, she always seeks to “temper justice with mercy while upholding the law”, the release said.

Hernandez has served on the board of directors for various organisations, including Cayman Airways, the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce and the Employment Law Review Committee.