I founded this firm 11 years ago. I set it up with backing from my husband Paul Harris - and the audacity that comes with youth. Solomon is my maiden name.
While I do still have clients, I mostly manage the firm's office along with my two partners. The firm comprises the three partners, a team of eight associate lawyers and 12 support staff on Grand Cayman, and two lawyers with support staff in Zurich, where we opened an office just over a year ago. We were confident the city was a good jurisdiction in which to establish an office, particularly as there is easy access to the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
We have just had one of our regular Skype meetings with everyone at the Swiss office. The consensus is that the Zurich market will begin to boom again, perhaps faster than most other onshore jurisdictions, but in the meantime we have decided to relocate to larger offices to take advantage of the relatively soft property market.
The culture inSwitzerland is generally more formal than in Cayman, so it has required greater perseverance to break into the market. It was fortunate that we could not afford a big, flash opening to introduce ourselves to the Swiss market, as we have since learnt that the Swiss do not like flash.
We recently had an internal management meeting in Cayman about the rises in government fees, which were finalised last month. Cayman is a tax-neutral jurisdiction (we do not pay direct taxation, including income, property and capital gains tax) but we do have consumption tax.
We are grateful that, despite rising costs and a recession market, we will not have to cut staff. I view every one of the staff as "family" - it would be unpalatable to us to make cuts. We have come through the downturn without losing staff because we planned well in advance and did not take on any debt as a firm.
I have recently undertaken the role as chairman of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal. It is primarily pro bono in relation to the time that it takes. When I took it on some months ago, I had no idea there was a significant backlog of cases.
There are many competing offshore centres globally and as a firm we believe the Cayman Islands is one of the best. We find it increasingly important to underline the fact that the Cayman Islands are as well regulated and, in many cases, more regulated than most major onshore financial centres.
Key players in the industry understand this, despite growing criticism by competing onshore jurisdictions of so-called "tax havens". We do pay taxes in the form of indirect consumption taxes; we just do not pay income tax.
One of my other roles has included being president of Grand Cayman Rotary Club, the first woman to have the honour.
After I was elected to the presidency, it became clear that I was pregnant. This caused great apprehension in the mainly male membership at that time about my ability to carry out the functions of the position as well as caring for a newborn child. But after I pointed out I was having a baby and was not gravely ill, they could not have been more supportive.
I know many women who have children and more than one job, so multitasking comes easier for women. I enjoyed being president and never missed a meeting.