Bermuda’s first woman Solicitor-General has been appointed, the Government announced today.

Shakira Dill-Francois took up the post in the Attorney-General’s Chambers as Nalini Salick became the Chief Parliamentary Counsel.

Ms Dill-Francois said: “I am truly honoured and excited to be appointed to the Solicitor-General role and be the first woman to hold the post.

“I look forward to working alongside the fantastic team within the Attorney-General’s Chambers to ensure that we continue to provide expert legal advice to all levels of government.”

As Solicitor-General, Ms Dill-Francois will offer legal advice and services to Rena Lalgie, the Governor, as well as Cabinet ministers and other government agencies.

She will also supervise the advisory sections of Bermuda’s courts and conduct civil litigation.

Ms Dill-Francois received her bachelor of law degree from the University of Kent in England and her master of law from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York.

She was admitted to practise as a barrister and attorney in England and Bermuda and can practise as an attorney in New York.

Ms Dill-Francois joined the Attorney-General’s Chambers in 2009 as a Crown prosecutor.

She was promoted to Senior Crown Counsel in 2011 and Deputy Solicitor-General in 2014.

The government statement said: “Ms Dill-Francois has worked extensively in public law cases involving judicial review and constitutional claims and has litigated such cases before all courts in Bermuda.”

It added: “In her new role as Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Mrs Nalini Salick will manage and develop the Legislative Drafting Department and maintain a robust legislative landscape.”

Ms Salick was admitted to practise law in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Barbados, in 1994.

She attained her LLM in legislative drafting in 2006 through the help of a merit scholarship from the Organisation of American States.

A former Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Ms Salick was also a director and educator at the Counsel of Legal Education at Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago.

She worked there as the course director for classes in legal drafting and interpretations and in ethics, rights and obligations in the legal profession.

Ms Salick also worked as a former tutor in the law of remedies at Hugh Wooding Law School.

She has also worked in the department of government and politics at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies as a part-time lecturer in constitutional and administrative law.

Ms Salick is a member of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel and has worked among the legal fraternity in the Caribbean region for more than two decades.

She has experience working with attorney-generals across the Caricom region and has published and presented papers at regional and international forums.

Ms Salick said: “It is an honour to serve the Government and the people of Bermuda.”

Kim Wilson was sworn in as Attorney-General last week after the position was vacated by Kathy-Lynn Simmons, who also resigned as an MP.

Ms Wilson also holds the ministries of legal affairs and health.