Bio.Me: Legal Drafting and Policy Writing

Assuming you’ve read my “Bio.Me: Project Management and Process Improvement (Quality Assurance)” Blog, you’d recall that in project management and process improvement, I was constantly writing policies or procedures. I’ve written countless step-by-step guides, manuals, policies, and procedures over the years. My first professional job after college, one of the best years of my career, allowed me to work from home, where I worked best. At home, I’d roll out of bed early in the morning, plop onto my chair at my desk, and start typing away. It would be hours later before I realized I did not have breakfast or even showered, but I cranked out quite a few pages of policies for managerial review.

Later, I did apply a better routine for workouts, showers, and breakfast, but once I got into the zone, my happy place, I’d write for hours on end, from sunup to sundown. 

As a Compliance Manager much later in my career, these policy writing skills became even more necessary. I’ve drafted Project Plans, Change Management Plans, Business Continuity Plans, Business Plans, Board Reports, Disaster Recovery Plans, Employee Handbooks, Risk Assessments, AML Compliance Programs, and more. Many of these documents required legal interpretation of regulatory requirements. Thankfully, I had the foresight to pursue a legal degree with the support of my then-employer. 

Working at small firms, including my own, it's expected to be called to pitch in. Like a start-up company, I could not expect to remain isolated in anti-money laundering compliance work only. Functioning as a compliance project manager, many facets of the organization’s compliance must be considered, from human resources to finance to administration and now legal. I was readily equipped to handle the many responsibilities of a project manager specializing in the compliance of a firm. Naturally, with my legal studies under my belt, I was regularly called to put them to the test. Hence I’ve also drafted Employee Agreements, Partnership Agreements, Loan Agreements, Trust Declarations, Non-disclosure Agreements, Purchase and Sale Agreements, Consulting Agreements, Corporate Bylaws, and more. Now as a practicing attorney, this list continues to grow.

I enjoy writing, which is surprising to my parents, who could not get me to read, and an English teacher who nearly fainted when I not only passed the Caribbean Examination Council’s exam for English as a high school senior but received the highest possible grade. Interestingly enough, having seen her recently, she recounted her shock and how pleasantly surprised she is that my current career relies on reading and writing skills—the subjects I hated most in high school.

It’s also funny that writing articles on my website is one of my favorite hobbies. 

It is genuinely comical how life turns out.