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Merx ‘coach’ for Gibson law firm, free legal advice to public weekly
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Oct 4, 2005 16:01 UTC
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PHILIPSBURG - Former chief prosecutor Cor Merx started his new position as the “coach” for Gibson and Associates law firm on Monday. His aim in this new role is to create “a social face” for the island’s largest law firm.
At a press conference in his new office, Merx said his role at the firm was to basically guide the firm’s seven young lawyers with his experience in the field of law. He said he would focus on criminal law when he was admitted to the bar in the coming months.
According to Merx, the firm’s senior partner Richard Gibson Sr. wanted “a good coach” for the firm and the two of them “found each other” and were able to work out an agreement that allowed Merx “to return home,” as he considers St. Maarten.
In creating a social face for the firm, Merx has instituted a free public legal consultation day on which persons with legal questions and issues can obtain advice from the firm’s attorneys free of charge.
This free advice day will start next Thursday, October 13, from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. All of the attorneys attached to the firm will be taking part in this exercise. Persons will be dealt with on a first-come-first-serve basis and there is no need for an appointment, Merx stated. “The firm sees it as a duty to the public to help persons who cannot afford to get legal advice.”
The attorneys will also continue to work with the St. Maarten Bar Association’s Free Law Clinic that is held at the Government Administration Building on Saturdays, he added.
Another way of making the firm more accessible is that attorneys will now be available for clients after 5:00pm and on weekends. Traditionally, law firms are closed after 5:00pm and on weekends, but Merx intends for Gibson and Associates to be available “365 days a year.”
Building on the goal of making the law more accessible to the public, Merx will also promote the free translation of the Civil Code Book I from Dutch to English, which was done as a personal project of Gibson. A copy of the book was presented to Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards last week by Gibson and Merx.
Steering clear of any questions about his past and rumoured issues from his time as a prosecutor, Merx said, “That’s the past. I heard a great song when I went to the concert of the Manhattans over the weekend. It was ‘Let’s Just Kiss the Past and Say Goodbye.’”
Merx said he had enjoyed his 25 years of service as a prosecutor and had reached the top in that line of the legal world, in his estimation.
“My health is also good. As you can see, I can hear you pretty well,” he added. This comment stemmed from jokes and even a calypso that was written about the hearing problem he experienced during his last days in the Prosecutors’ Office.
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