Jamaican health attorney Joy Stephenson-Laws has been named Honorary Consul in Los Angeles, California. Her appointment to the prestigious post, and the writ of commission, came from Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The announcement was made in early February 2020.
Stephenson-Laws will be commissioned by Her Excellency Audrey Marks, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States during a special ceremony on March 14, 2020, in Los Angeles.

Stephenson-Laws is originally from Sherwood Content in Trelawny, Jamaica. She migrated to the United States from Jamaica more than 40 years ago. She attended Loma Linda University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree and then went on to earn a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University. Her entire legal career has been spent in addressing public health issues, with a particular focus on healthcare. She is the founder and managing partner of Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman (SAC), a top litigation firm in the healthcare industry. At the firm, she is in charge of over 100 diverse professionals that include attorneys, doctors, nurses, and technology and healthcare provider, specialists.

Stephenson-Laws noted that, both personally and professionally, she has always been dedicated to making improvements in the healthcare of the US through education for consumers, advocating for providers of healthcare, and establishing healthcare-related philanthropy to encourage greater involvement in the community.

Commenting on her appointment as Honorary Consul, Stephenson-Laws said that she was honored to be named one of Jamaica’s designated representatives in the US. She attributed her attitude toward life, as well as any successes she has had in her career, to the strong foundations she has from her Jamaican culture. She specifically cited the influence of the way Jamaican culture values education as a path to success in life and to the recognition that cultural unity represents a crucial element for international success.

The new Honorary Consul is looking forward to being part of the effort to increase awareness of Jamaica and the opportunities it presents. She is also focused on protecting Jamaicans in the areas for which she has responsibility.