mr André C. Small - Partner

André studied Dutch Law (KU Brabant) and majored in International Private comparative Law concerning product liability. He jump started his career in law as a legal staff member at the Dutch Department of Justice in the Netherlands.

In 1992 André established himself as a lawyer in Curaçao (formerly: the Netherlands Antilles) and is co-founder of SMS Attorneys at Law in 2002. He specializes in advice and litigation in insurance law, corporate law and telecommunication law. Acting as such Andre not only advises and litigates on behalf of the local government and government related entities but also a large insurance company and the postal authority.

Extra curriculair
As a ‘home-grown’ culinary enthusiast André is passionate about cooking. In his opinion this passion blends perfectly with social involvement, serving others and working with precision. The drive and care required of a good cook are also indispensable in his business life: being a good lawyer means working with accuracy, proactive and professional, geared to the client’s needs. Considering his experience in law practice André was asked to participate in the penalty commission of the Vrije Curaçaosche Voetbal Federatie [VCVF] an association with a social earmark.

mr Mirto F. Murray - Partner

Mirto studied Dutch Law (University of Amsterdam) and started practicing law as an attorney at law in 1996 in the (former) Netherlands Antilles. He differentiates himself from others by creative thinking ‘outside of the box’ within the legal boundaries.

At the age of 33 he became the youngest ever President of the Bar Association in Curaçao a position he held from 2001 to 2005. He initiated and was the main editor of the authoritative “The Parliamentary History of the (new) Civil Code of the Netherlands Antilles” and is also an editor for the prestigious law journal Caribisch Juristenblad [formerly: Tijdschrift voor Antilliaans Recht TAR-Justicia. Mirto regularly publishes legal articles and legal notes in several Law Journals and magazines.

Extra Curriculair
Mirto is an avid reader who even in his youngest years read everything that contained words, like list of ingredients on canned goods to warnings on cleaning products and even dictionaries. This later aided him enormously with the reading of legal works and keeping up to date with the jurisprudence. Reading is still one of his hobby’s and apart from the mandatory legal literature Mirto can often be found engaged with up to four books at the same time.

mr Glenn Rellum - Lawyer

Glenn Rellum [1970] graduated in 1996 in tax law at the Erasmus University at Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and joined the Dutch tax lawyer’s bar in 1998. He acquired more than 7 years of international tax experience at a ‘Big Four’ firm in the Netherlands and further broadened his knowledge of civil- and criminal law with a financial background at Spong Advocaten in Amsterdam.

Glenn’s focus is mainly on business law, setting up of tax saving structures and filing of tax rulings for among others: holding, finance, license and E-zone activities. Glenn has a great interest for company law and teaches the course Private Foundation and Trust law at the University of Curaçao. Further, he is active as trademark attorney protectecting trademarks from a legal perspective and constructing tax advantageous structures.

Extra Curriculair
Mixing music is Glenn’s favorite pastime, where he hones his skill for timing. The putting together of music samples to create new, seamlessly rhythmic music requires planning, a feeling for rhythm and matching speed and tone of music fragments. This same ability for planning is an essential ingredient for the practice of law in all its forms.

mr Johanneke G.J. Schelling - Lawyer

Johanneke studied Dutch Law (Universiteit Utrecht) and majored in Private Law as well as Labor Law and Social Policy. One year after graduating she joined the team of SMS Attorneys at Law as a lawyer in 2005.

Johanneke had ample working experience, during and after her study, at various practices for corporate law in collection. Her specialties are Labor law and Construction law, the latter due to her lineage from a family involved in construction. In addition Johanneke has branched out into civil law, making her an all-round attorney. She’s chaired the bar of young lawyers (Jonge Balie Curaçao) and used to be a member of the board to Foundation for Professional Training of Lawyers (Stichting Beroepsopleiding Advocatuur). Johanneke also partakes in the advisory committee in charge of drawing up new conditions for tendering in construction, for the former islands of the Netherlands Antilles. She is a regular contributor with publications and presentations about construction law.

Johanneke was once an avid piano player but had to forsake practicing music for her studies. She’s still however a dedicated listener to all kinds of music and enjoys the classical genre in particular. The passion and at once peaceful effect of Beethoven’s music for instance, is something she really savors at any available moment. Johanneke believes that every lawyer should have both this passion and a pacifying influence.

mr Susanne Klarenbeek - Lawyer

Susanne studied Dutch Law at the University of Amsterdam and majored in private and citizen law. During her studies she worked as a legal consultant for the Dutch homeowners association ‘Vereniging Eigen Huis’.

After graduating Susanne started working for de largest social securities insurance company in the Netherlands. Working there she acquired special knowledge concerning realty and especially on laws on rent. As of May 2007 she is a member of SMS Attorneys at Law’s team.

Extra Curriculair
Scuba diving has strict rules and regulations, being an exciting, complicated sport with its own risks. Since many of these principles also apply to the field of law, Susanne feels very much at home in both. What she finds fascinating is the importance of keeping an overall view without losing sight of details and smaller aspects. Keeping a sharp outlook is essential in law too, for just like when scuba diving, not everything can be taken in at once. At times it takes ‘hovering’ over certain matters before becoming aware of them, and this applies equally for complex legal issues that require delving into the law, jurisprudence and literature.

mr Joyceline Lovert - Lawyer

Joyceline completed her education in Dutch Law at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, in 2007 with a major in Business Law and Management. With this combination she is equipped to be of valuable assistance to corporate clients.

During her studies she also acquired practical experience while working in several commercial and government organizations. Joyceline joined SMS Attorneys at Law in 2007 and handles primarily the general judicial cases. In 2009/2010, Joyceline contributed to the Junior Bar Association as a general board member and treasurer. As treasurer, she has also contributed to the Board of the Foundation for Professional Training of Lawyers (Stichting Beroepsopleiding Advocatuur). Furthermore, Joyceline contributes to the Curaçao society by writing articles on current legal issues and developments in legislation.

Extra Curriculair
A good game of tennis holds the same challenges for Joyceline that she encounters in practicing law. She sees many similarities, starting with the basic requirement of having a good condition, which requires regular training. Also, just like in tennis, being a good lawyer means having the right technique to get the desired result. And on top of it all, both tennis and law demand great mental endurance in order to keep going, even under harsh and complicated conditions, to deliver the best performance.

mr Pascale Dingemanse - Lawyer

Pascale finished her study in criminal law at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands in 2002. In her years of studying she was also working as a volunteer at the ‘Rechtswinkel’ [organization for legal advice] and she later founded an agency for legal counsel for children and youngsters.

On top of this she also worked as a registrar at Amsterdam’s legal court. After graduating Pascale worked for six years at the High Court in Amsterdam, first as a judiciary staff member and later also as a staff lawyer. She joined SMS Attorneys at Law in October 2008 and handles civil cases as well as criminal law cases.

Extra Curriculair
The judicial world offers Pascale a balanced combination of some of the things she enjoys doing most. She aims at collecting all relevant facts and putting these within a judicial context so as to offer the best result for the client. This is in keeping with her passion for seeking out all happenings and details of the issue at hand and her interest in people, their culture and life story.

mr Roy Bottse - Lawyer

Roy trained as a sports instructor and later as a military officer for special services at the Dutch Defense Academy in Breda. Following his discharge from service in 1980, he studied at the Netherlands Institute for Logistical Management in The Hague.

All the way through his military career and into the present Roy has been actively involved in several sports like track, boxing, windsurfing sailing and tennis, both as a participant and as member of several sports organizations. Roy is an ex Olympic- , World- and Pan American Games 800 meter track athlete.

As of 1983 he worked in several business ventures In Curaçao. In 2005 Roy decided to study law at the University of the Netherlands Antilles and graduated in 2009 on the subject of “A Plea for Olympic Recognition for Curaçao”. This thesis was published in “The International Sport Law Journal” of November 2009. Roy joined the SMS Attorneys at Law team in July 2010.

mr Sharita Raktoe - Lawyer

Sharita finished her law study in 2008 at the University of Leiden. She majored in Criminal and Private Law.

While studying, Sharita acquired experience working for big international law firms and in judicial courts. Sharita joined SMS Attorneys at Law in 2011; she works in the general legal practice.

Extra Curriculair
Practicing martial arts such as karate and judo have long been Sharita’s passion. Sports like these bring to mind characteristics like perseverance, fighting spirit, self-discipline, mental power, technique and self defense. These are all qualities that are also crucial in being a good lawyer and guiding a case towards the desired results.

mr Sunita Bottse-Angnoe - Director

As of August 2007 Sunita is the director of SMS Attorneys at Law and in charge of daily operations. It was during her years of studying Human Resource Management and Employment Mediation (Hogeschool Rotterdam) that she started working in the field. This enabled Sunita, at the tender age of nineteen, to get practical experience at the ‘Medisch Centrum Rijnmond-Zuid’s, the Netherlands, department of Personnel and Organization.

Once finished with her studies and after 23 years in the Netherlands, Sunita crossed the oceans to Curaçao. The first five years she worked at a high end consumer & corporate bank as Human Resources Manager before making the transfer to SMS Attorneys at Law. Her ample HRM experience is an indispensable asset in handling the diverse issues of employers, employees and clients of SMS and finding the perfect balance between these stakeholders.

Every day is a journey
Sunita is fascinated by other cultures and likes to travel. The variety of people, languages and cultures she encounters serve to further sharpen her ability to deal with planned and unplanned situations. In this way, every day is a journey offering new challenges to make the best out of every situation. This aspiring for is an invaluable asset in her work where she has to direct people, structure and rules to keep the business running.