Who am I?

I was born in Jersey on 18th September, 1951, the son of Bryan Le Marquand, a seed merchant, and Olivia Le Marquand (née Bertram), a piano teacher. I will be 57 at the time of the election.

I have been married to Doreen (née Smith) for 30 years and we have two married daughters, Anna Field (an advocate) and Rachel Spottiswoode (a physiotherapist). 

I won an open scholarship to Victoria College and subsequently my uncle, Senator/Advocate J.J. Le Marquand, encouraged me to take up law, becoming an Advocate in 1977. I am an active member of St. Paul’s Church, an Anglican lay preacher and a very enthusiastic indoor bowls player.

What have I done previously?

I have just retired as the Island’s Magistrate after 31 years of experience as a lawyer and 18 years of experience in public service as a Chief Officer, a manager, a rules draftsman and a judge.

My legal career has taken me into public service in three distinct phases as follows:-

1. I worked in private practice with Advocate Mike Backhurst as Le Marquand & Backhurst from 1977 to 1988, which led me into occasional work as a Relief Magistrate from 1987 to 1990.
2. I was the Island’s Judicial Greffier from 1990 to 1997 - here I was the Chief Officer of a States Department, the chief clerk to all the courts and a judge of procedural matters in the Royal Court.
3. I was the Island’s senior Magistrate, with oversight of the Magistrate’s, Youth and Petty Debts Courts, from 1999 to 2008.

My previous work has involved me leading teams of people, managing projects, making difficult decisions, drafting rules of court and overseeing changes to laws and court procedures. Examples of these include the new Probate and Stamp Duty Laws, numerous improvements to the Royal Court and Petty Debts Court rules and procedures, Stage 1 of the computerisation of the Public Registry and involvement with the building of the new Magistrate’s Court complex.

I believe that I have a reputation for fairness, honesty and directness. I am passionate about my Island home and community and its historic culture and traditions but I have always been a reformer, seeking to take what we have and improve it gradually.

Why am I standing for the States?

There are a number of reasons why I am standing in the Senatorial elections:

1. Politics has always been an interest and a passion for me but the judicial role which I have followed has previously blocked this area to me.
2. I have served the Island in various ways over the past 18 years and now believe that it is the right time to offer my services and experience to the Island in a political capacity.
3. I have had a growing concern about the quality of political leadership in this Island, including in the areas which I have been most involved in such as law and order and related social issues.
4. I realised some years ago that 2008 would be a challenging time for the Island. I had expected this due to the unpopularity of any new taxation measures made necessary by the tax “black hole”, but I had not anticipated that the difficulties faced by the Island would extend to other areas. I hope that my experience, gained in public service, can be of assistance to the Island at this time.