Profile - Cherie Gopie - M. Hamel-Smith & Co.

page-template-default,page,page-id-15975,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,hide_top_bar_on_mobile_header,qode-theme-ver-9.0,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-5.4.2,vc_responsive

Attorney Profile

Cherie Gopie

Partner

Send Email LinkedIn

Phone: 868 299 0981
Mobile: 868 389 6808

Bar Admissions

2006: Trinidad & Tobago

Areas of Practice

Admiralty
General Commercial Litigation
Medical Negligence / Malpractice
Personal Injury
Commercial Debt Collection
Insurance Litigation
Alternative Dispute Resolution

Profile

After being admitted to practice as an Attorney in 2006, Cherie began her career at a small law firm where she gained experience in company law, civil litigation and arbitration. Prior to joining Hamel-Smith’s Dispute and Risk Department in August 2011, she spent four years as a Judicial Research Counsel, where she received significant mentoring from High Court Judges and exposure to a wide variety of complex civil and criminal cases. It is there she honed her research skills by judgment and case opinion writing.

At M. Hamel-Smith & Co., Cherie has appeared in and works closely instructing Counsel in the High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Tax Appeal Board and the Environmental Commission of Trinidad and Tobago. Cherie focuses on all areas of dispute resolution and advises the firm’s clients on, among other areas, Admiralty Law (in particular ship arrests), General Commercial Litigation, Medical Negligence Law, Personal Injury, Debt Collection, Insurance, re-Insurance. Cherie also holds a Master’s degree in Corporate and Commercial Law.

Current Involvement

Drafting Court documents including Pleadings, Evidence and Arguments, Applications, Affidavits, Witness Statements, Skeleton Arguments and Submissions;
Drafting, amending and advising on a wide variety of commercial contracts and contractual disputes;
Advising and representing a wide range of Clients in multi-million dollar debt collection and enforcement of judgment actions;
Advising and representing Clients in claims involving breach of constructive trust and fraud;
Advising and representing Clients in varying breach of contract and negligence claims;
Advising and representing Clients in land disputes;
Providing general commercial advice;

Publications

“Abandoned vessels-The case of the Sao Paulo” featured in the T&T Guardian newspaper on February 12, 2023
“Agency Relationships and Liability” featured in T&T Guardian newspaper on September 4, 2022
Co-Author: “Salvage Claims Arising out of Towage Contracts”, featured in the July 2022 ShipArrested’s quarterly publication;
“Ship building: Contract considerations for an emerging industry” featured in the June 5, 2022 T&T Guardian newspaper;
“Tis the seasons…for delays.” featured in the November 7, 2021 T&T Guardian newspaper;
“Applications under the Mental Health Act of Trinidad and Tobago”, featured in the July 19, 2021 T&T Guardian newspaper;
“The Secret to Non-Disclosure Agreements” featured in the June 6, 2021 T&T Guardian newspaper;
“The Road to Debt Recovery-Enforcement of a Judgment Debt” featured in the May 9, 2021 T&T Guardian newspaper;
“Private Hire “PH” Taxis – Regularisation from an Insurance Law Perspective featured in the February 14, 2021 T&T Guardian newspaper and the Hamel-Smith Forum Vol. 11 Issue 7; March 2021;
“Bothering thy neighbour-Understanding “Nuisance” featured in the August 16, 2020 T&T Guardian newspaper;
“Debt collection and the ‘new normal’, featured in the July 6, 2020 T&T Guardian newspaper;
Contributed to the Lex Mundi Chapter on the topic of COVID-19 Insolvency, Bankruptcy and Restructuring with a Focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, May 18, 2020;
“COVID-19 and your contract featured in the March 2020 T&T Guardian newspaper;
“Ship ahoy! Maritime claims and what it means to arrest a ship featured in the May 19, 2019 T&T Guardian newspaper and Hamel Smith Forum Vol. 11 Issue 2, October 2019;
Co- Author, ‘Ship arrests in Practice’ ( Trinidad and Tobago), Ship Arrests 12^th Edition, 2020, published by The shiparrested.com Network.
“What You Need To Understand – About Memorandums Of Understanding”, Hamel-Smith Forum, Vol. 10 Issue 6, April 2019
The Attachment of Assets – Juris Publication
Co-Author: The Enforcement of Money Judgments – Juris Publication
Taking a New Stab at Piercing the Corporate Veil – MHS Forum
Co-Author: A guide to doing business Trinidad and Tobago: Environmental Approval – Lex Mundi Publication