Her Honour, Mrs. Simone Walker-McFarlane was appointed to the Bench in the island of Jamaica in 2020 where she presently sits at the Corporate Area Criminal Court and hears indictable and summary trials. The Court is also fixed to hear extradition matters. Prior to this, she was assigned to the Saint Mary Parish Court where she heard matters in relation to: Family (inclusive of adoption hearings), Traffic, Civil, Tax, Coroners and Criminal matters. In addition, Judge Walker-McFarlane also treated with estate matters which fall under the jurisdiction of the Parish Court. During her tenure at the St. Mary Parish Court, she had administrative oversight of the Court where she acted as Senior Parish Court Judge. Under the management of her Honour Mrs. Walker-McFarlane, the St. Mary Parish Court maintained its position of dominance, being in the top five performing parish Courts in Jamaica based on statistical data.
Prior to this honoured role as a judge, her professional work experience include: Assistant Attorney General, Tutor in Law of Contract and Trusts and Equitable Remedies and Associate at Scott, Bhoorasingh and Bonnick. Whilst at the Attorney General’s Chambers, Judge Walker- McFarlane worked on groundbreaking legislation which have now been promulgated in Jamaica. Some of these include: Tourism Workers Pension Act, the Domestic Violence Act, Education Amendment Act and the Fisheries Act.
Her Honour, Mrs. Simone Walker-McFarlane, has a multi-disciplinary background, as, prior to serving the Jamaican Judiciary, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in International Law and Spanish. She further explored International Law in 2015 at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland where she achieved a LLM in International Law and Sustainable Develaopment on a Commonwealth Scholarship. Whilst at the University of Strathclyde, Judge Walker-McFarlane developed an interest in Climate Change Law and explored it in her dissertation as well as part of the Climate and Sustainability Project (CASP), in which members made individual presentations at the first Tarragona International Environmental Law Colloquium at Rovira I Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain. This they further developed and co-authored into a chapter which was published in the book, “Rethinking Sustainable Development in Terms of Justice” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2018).
An astute, community advocate with exceptional leadership skills, she has a track record of holding distinctive roles to include: Director of Rotary Foundation and Secretary for the Rotary Club of Portmore. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Commonwealth Scholars Alumni Association and Assistant Secretary for the Caribbean Association of Women Judges.
Judge Walker-McFarlane is an adept writer, and has co-authored publications addressing human rights and justice to include, “Legalization of Abortions – What is the big deal?” (AGC Pulse, August 2018). In December 2023, her article, “Gender Based Violence in Jamaica: Strides made since the adoption of CEDAW” was published by the IAWJ.
Beyond her professional achievements, Her Honour Mrs. Walker-McFarlane is a devoted mother and wife. She is the mother of one and enjoys interior decorating, canvas painting and travelling.