Deferred no more

Told as a teenager that studying law was beyond her family’s means, Kadeish Jarrett-Fletcher quietly set the dream aside. Nearly two decades later, the Court Administration Division executive has returned to that ambition and crossed the Bar with faith and firm resolve.

Now an attorney-at-law, Jarrett-Fletcher offers a simple but powerful message to others struggling to hold on to deferred dreams: start.

“Put the systems in place and go for it, because it’s better to navigate a difficult period in your life than to spend the rest of your life asking yourself why,” she said.

“It might be difficult to achieve the dream that you have, but it’s going to be even more difficult when you reach a point in your life, and you are filled with regrets. Put the systems in place and start,” added the gracious mother of two, whose ever-present warm and embracing smile belies the toughness of her journey.

For her, the journey was never about ease, but about fortitude, doing something hard because it mattered.

As director of client services, communications and information at the Court Administration Division, and former senior public relations officer, Jarrett-Fletcher has spent years helping ordinary Jamaicans understand how the courts function, breaking down complex legal processes into language the public can grasp.

Being called to the Bar last month, she said, brought a deep sense of relief and validation, the completion of a journey shaped by sacrifice, faith and persistence.

Born and raised in rural Hanover, Jarrett-Fletcher attended Rusea’s High School before moving on to Montego Bay Community College, where she pursued Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations subjects, including history, literature and sociology.

In 2005, she relocated to Kingston to attend The University of the West Indies (UWI) after gaining entry to then-named Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC).

Law had always lingered quietly in her mind. But as a teenager from the country, she recalls being discouraged after a guidance counsellor suggested her parents could not afford legal studies, advice she accepted without question.

“At that time, you didn’t really sit down and ask your parents about money,” she said. “I just moved on.”

Her father, a painter and plumber, worked on hotels across Hanover, while her mother was a housewife and domestic worker. From them, she learned discipline, structure and an unwavering work ethic.

A FATHER’S WISH

She also carried her father’s unfulfilled wish that one of his children would attend university. Jarrett-Fletcher became the first of his 10 children to do so.

After graduating, she built a strong media career, working in sports journalism at SportsMax before joining Television Jamaica, where she spent five years as a producer. She worked on Smile Jamaica, live sporting events and international broadcasts, thriving not in front of the camera but behind the scenes.

“I liked pulling all the pieces together,” she said. “Planning, organising, writing scripts, that gave me a sense of fulfilment.”

By 2015, however, she felt restless.

“I knew I wanted more,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what the ‘more’ was, but I knew that phase of my life was ending.”

A job advertisement for a senior public relations officer at the then Court Management Services opened the door to a new chapter, her dream job, which brought her closer to the justice system and reignited her interest in the law.

“I realised quickly that to respond properly to the media, I needed to understand process, procedure and the law itself,” she explained. “It felt like coming full circle.”

DEFINING STRENGTHS

Her ability to translate legal jargon into plain language became one of her defining strengths. She helped produce public education brochures and worked closely with judges, clerks and registrars, often serving as the bridge between the judiciary and the public.

In 2018, she was asked to act as director for the entire division, a role that further underscored the need for formal legal training.

She first applied to law school in 2017 but deferred after the birth of her first son. When COVID-19 struck in 2020, disrupting routines and stripping away her ability to plan, something she values deeply, she made a quiet promise to herself.

“If we made it out of COVID,” she told The Sunday Gleaner, “I wanted to be doing what I really wanted to do and not just be doing something because it paid the bills or worked at that time.”

She enrolled in the UWI’s Direct Entry Programme in 2021, juggling a heavy course load while working full-time. When she advanced to the Norman Manley Law School, she was pregnant again, a reality that would test her limits.

SCHOOL AND GIVING BIRTH

She began law school at 32 weeks pregnant. An earthquake and weeks of heavy rainfall forced classes online just as she was preparing for a Caesarean section, allowing her to meet attendance requirements she otherwise would have missed. The night before surgery, she attended class. Hours after giving birth, she logged back in.

“There were moments when I doubted myself,” she admitted. “But I knew I couldn’t pause this dream again.”

With her husband, Dane, carrying much of the household responsibilities, while helping her to get to and from her classes, support from her parents, a strong study group and her church family at Andrews Memorial SDA Church, she pushed through physical exhaustion, emotional strain and long nights of study. She passed all her exams in her first year and entered her second year determined to finish.

Being called to the Bar, she said, lifted a tremendous weight.

“I carried a lot of guilt because I spent so much time away from my children,” she said. “This accomplishment validated those very hard decisions, staying two hours after school ended at 8 o’clock to study, travelling home at night knowing they were already asleep.”

“But I also felt a great weight lifting,” she added. “I accomplished what I set out to accomplish, and I don’t take it for granted because there are many persons who, for whatever reason, did not get to that moment.”

At 38, and with nearly 11 years already spent in the court system, Jarrett-Fletcher remains committed to improving public understanding of the judiciary. While she has a strong interest in commercial law, she is content for now to serve where she is.

“When the time comes, I’ll practise,” she said.

Looking ahead, she sees no limits, possibly even the Bench one day. But for those still struggling through difficult seasons, her advice remains firm and uncomplicated: You just need to begin.

Jarrett-Fletcher says her vision for the courts is firmly centred on access, understanding and trust.

“I think that in and of itself is an accomplishment when more persons understand how the courts function and how to interact with them,” she said.

She sees her role as helping to bridge that gap, ensuring court processes are explained clearly, information is accessible, and members of the public know what to expect when they enter a courthouse or interact with the system.

The judiciary, she noted, has a big vision, and she sees herself contributing to it by continuing to improve how the courts communicate with the public, how information is shared, and how people experience the justice system.

“I have been in charge of the communications aspects of the judiciary for a few years now, and I see the incremental changes we have made and the difference they are making to the ordinary Jamaican citizen,” she shared proudly.

Whether through communication, policy or, eventually, the practice of law, Jarrett-Fletcher remains committed to public service.

“The sky is the limit,” she said.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com