On Tuesday 22 May 2018, junior associate Jovanca Frolijk was sworn in on Aruba by the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten and of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Jovanca started as a professional support lawyer at the growing Aruban office of law firm VANEPS in May 2017 and works at the Corporate & Banking section of the firm.
Jovanca was born and raised on Aruba and completed her master in Civil Law at the University of Leiden. Prior to that, she had already obtained a master’s degree in Criminology as well, focusing on criminal policy and law enforcement. As a student, Jovanca gained experience through internships and by working as a legal assistant for several law firms. Soon it was clear to her that she wanted to become an attorney at law: “My first internship at a law firm was immediately decisive and confirmed my preference for the legal profession. I also wanted to get back to my roots. That is why I feel right at home at VANEPS on Aruba.”
Taking the oath was a special moment for Jovanca: “That I could be sworn in under the watchful eye of my proud family made the picture complete. Now, I am also allowed to represent my clients in court and I can fully pursue the law profession. I would also like to express my appreciation for the personal speech of Frans van Deutekom, advocate general at the Public Prosecution Service, in which he emphasized that he had noticed that I – as a lawyer and a criminologist – approach the law and law enforcement from multiple angles.”
