Candidate notary consciously chooses Curaçao
While many young Curaçaons decide after their studies in the Netherlands to build their future right there, candidate notary and law firm partner Katherine Filesia (35) made an entirely different choice. She left behind a career very promising in variety, a doctoral track, interesting career advancement opportunities, and a comfortable life in the Netherlands to return to Curaçao. Not because she had no future in the Netherlands. On the contrary.
Precisely because she was convinced that her knowledge and international experience could have much more meaning on her native island. “I never forgot my roots. I always wanted to return to Curaçao. The only question was: when?”
From a curious girl to a legal professional
From the time she was very young, Filesia knew she wanted to study law. Only, she did not yet know in which specific branch. During her VWO (pre-university education), she delved into different areas of law, and she became fascinated by international and European law. That ultimately led her to Leiden University, which is known for having one of the best law faculties in the Netherlands.
But once in Leiden, it became clear that her final destination lay elsewhere. Through the Law Shop, where law students provide free legal advice to people who need it, she ended up in family and personal law. There she saw for the first time what a notary actually does.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know what a notary does exactly. I had never come into contact with that.” Precisely the great variety of legal issues caught her attention enormously. Ultimately, she decided to also pursue Notarial Law, alongside her studies in Civil Law. That laid the foundation for a career in which she would later make history.
The Netherlands offered unlimited opportunities
Filesia describes the years in the Netherlands as extremely valuable. Not only academically, but also personally. She developed into an independent young woman, built a broad professional network, and received many opportunities to continue developing herself.
“A new world opened up for me. I always wanted to learn new things.” After her studies, she didn’t even have to look for work. Several notary offices wanted to hire her immediately. Alongside that, she combined her work with doctoral research in notarial law and continued to grow within her firm. The university also saw a future in her.
First Curaçaoan woman to earn a doctorate in notarial law
During her doctoral research, Filesia delved into Anglo-American trust law, and she investigated how assets can legally be passed on to future generations. She stayed at, among others, the University of Oxford for her research, and conducted research in the Netherlands and Curaçao. In doing so, she compared the law of Curaçao, the Netherlands, and England.
The research even resulted in proposals for legislative amendments in both Curaçao and the Netherlands. Thus, she became the first Curaçaoan woman to earn a doctorate in notarial law.
The decision that changed her life
Just as her career in the Netherlands gained momentum, notary Alba Chatlein reappeared in the picture. Filesia had previously completed an internship with her in Curaçao. For years, Chatlein kept asking her when she would finally return. The answer was always the same: “Not yet.”
First was the doctorate. Then followed a promotion at the firm. New opportunities kept presenting themselves. Yet Chatlein did not give up. She even traveled to the Netherlands during the Christmas period to speak with her personally. “Katherine, Curaçao needs people like you.” Those words stuck with her.
Leaving everything behind
The decision was far from easy. By then, Filesia had a well-paying job, excellent career prospects, her own house, and a German husband with whom she had built a life in the Netherlands. Yet together they decided to go for the adventure, and she brought her German husband with her to Curaçao. “We told each other: let’s try it. If it doesn’t work out, at least we will have tried.”
What also played a role, according to Filesia, is that in the Netherlands there is a major shortage of notaries and candidate notaries. She could always find work there again. Now she looks back on her decision without any regret. “I am very happy that I took this step.”
More than just a salary
According to Filesia, many students mainly look at the salary they can earn in the Netherlands when deciding whether or not to return. But according to her, that does not paint the full picture. “Many people forget how much tax and other fixed expenses you pay in the Netherlands.”
Although salaries in Curaçao are sometimes lower, she believes that quality of life, the social environment, and the opportunity to mean something directly to your own community are at least equally important. She also believes that many young people underestimate the opportunities that exist in Curaçao. “Precisely because Curaçao is smaller, you get responsibility faster and you can develop yourself broadly.”
She herself did not only become a candidate notary after her return, but also a partner in the firm. Alongside her legal duties, she handles personnel management, digitalization, international cooperation, and the further development of the office. “I received many opportunities to develop myself further in Curaçao. I am aware that not everyone gets those opportunities, so I know that I am privileged.”
On November 1, 2023, Katherine Filesia presented a copy of her doctoral dissertation titled ‘Speaking the same language: De invoering van de Anglo-Amerikaanse trust in het Nederlandse recht’ to the then Governor of Curaçao, Lucille George-Wout. Photo: Archive
Modern ideas for a modern notary profession
After her return, she immediately noticed the differences between the Netherlands and Curaçao. Where almost everything takes place digitally in the Netherlands, a lot of work must be done on paper in Curaçao. Yet she consciously chose to not let that bother her. “I didn’t think: this can’t be. Instead, I asked: how can we digitalize this?” According to her, a person returning from the Netherlands should not try to change everything immediately but first understand how things work in Curaçao. “First you have to adapt yourself to Curaçao. Then you can help think about improvements.”
International experience as an added value
Thanks to her many years of experience in the Netherlands, Filesia handles complicated international cases with relative ease today. She specialized in, among other things, corporate law, real estate, family law, planning, trust law, and international private law. Precisely in Curaçao, where many international clients live or invest, that expertise comes in handy.
Remarkably, she finds that Curaçao is even more modern than the Netherlands in some legal areas. For example, Curaçao has had certain legal options for years that the Netherlands introduced much later or does not even know yet, such as bearing two surnames.
More than just legal work
As a candidate notary and partner, her work consists of much more than drafting deeds. She manages the staff, handles digitalization, maintains international contacts, and monitors the quality of service. That means long work weeks: “Most of the time I work seven days a week.”
Furthermore, Filesia sees a notable development standing out. Where the notary profession used to be mainly a men’s world, today it is precisely women who form the majority. In Curaçao, roughly 60 percent of the notaries and candidate notaries are women. To her, that shows that more and more women are holding leadership positions within the legal world.
Investing in Curaçao’s future
In the short term, Katherine Filesia hopes to reach her biggest professional goal: becoming a notary. But her ambition goes further. She wants to continue modernizing the Curaçao notary profession through digitalization, international cooperation, and better service. Alongside that, she wants to introduce young people in school to this profession, because many people hardly know what a notary really does.
Therefore, her message to students is clear: “Don’t be afraid to come back. It is possible to achieve a lot in the Netherlands, but Curaçao is also full of opportunities. Sometimes you just have to dare to believe that you yourself can make the difference.”
For Filesia, returning to Curaçao was never a step back, but a conscious investment in her island. “As a young Curaçaoan notary, I want to contribute to a notary profession that is future-proof.”
