A Supreme Court room packed with some of Bermuda's most important legal minds welcomed the elevation of the woman dubbed the "plea court queen'' to the Bermuda Bar.

Those attending Veronica Daley's Call to the Bar session included Attorney General Dame Lois Browne Evans and one of her predecessors, Saul Froomkin.

And former Deputy Premier Jerome Dill paid tribute to Mrs. Daley's formidable prosecution talents after coming face to face with her in the Pascale Delmas case where she helped land a record fine for a massive oil spill.

Mr. Dill said: "I said to her `I'm sure this is a matter we can deal with' and she shrugged and smiled.

"When I saw her speak with such passion in defence of Bermuda's environment I knew I was in big trouble.'' Mrs. Daley, 27, began her rise in the legal profession by working in the microfilm department at Appleby, Spurling and Kempe. After spending a summer as a clerk in the Supreme Court and summer in the Attorney Generals' Chambers she took a diploma in French studies.

But the legal life lured her again and she headed to the University of Buckingham in England where she took a BA in Law before gaining a Masters in International and Commercial Law.

A tearful Mrs. Daley paid tribute to her grandmother for her support during time abroad.

She said: "Thank you for always making sure I was warm because you were convinced I was going to catch pneumonia in England. Thank you for being there at every milestone and helping me reach them in a myriad of ways.'' But there was laughter as she praised her ex-Premier mother Pamela Gordon.

Mrs. Daley said: "My mother has rooted for me, prayed for me, cried for me and paid for me.'' She also paid tribute to her colleagues throughout her career as well as her husband Nigel who she married in August.

After a spell away from law where she rubbed shoulders with the likes of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise while working as a personal assistant at Paramount Pictures in London she returned to Bermuda where she joined the Attorney General's Chambers.

Referring to Mrs. Daley's highly developed sense of fashion, Senior Crown Counsel Brian Calhoun told the gathering of the first time he met her.

He said: "She was dressed to the nines and I thought she was a fashion model for a promotional video. Not being one to miss a photo opportunity I inquired about her, but found she was a member of the Chambers.'' However, it was not the state of her appearance but the number of them which won her the nickname of the "plea court queen''.

Acting Director of Public Prosecution William Pearce said he believed she had put in a record number of consecutive appearances there on behalf of the Crown. After the ceremony, proud mother Pamela Gordon told The Royal Gazette : "I am exceptionally proud of my daughter.

"And it is fitting that she be called to the Bar on November 10 because it gives credence to the rule about a year and a day.

"A year and a day ago her mother lost the election and now a year and day we have had this wonderful result. Where there's life, there's hope.''