An unprecedented ceremony for the Island's legal fraternity will take place at 3 p.m. today when, for the first time, a mother and her daughter will be called to the Bermuda Bar on the same day.

For Pamela and Kristen Ferreira today marks the completion of a family journey that began in 1990. In that year, well-known Bermudians, Alvin and Pamela Ferreira packed up their family and moved to England where both studied law at The University of Bristol. Currently an employee with Mello Jones and Martin, Mrs. Ferreira has been a practising lawyer for seven years in the UK, but has never been called to the Bermuda bar.

And another first for Bermuda, Kristen Ferreira is the first XL Capital Ltd. trainee to be admitted to the Bermuda bar.

A student at Bermuda High School until she was 12 years old, Kristen Ferreira moved to England with her family and attended Cheltenham Ladies' College in Gloucestershire before moving on to the University of Nottingham for three years and then Georg-August University in Goettingen, Germany for a year. The extra year of study in Germany enabled her to acquire an advanced degree in Law with European Law, rather than the more traditional Law degree.

Mr. and Mrs. Ferreira graduated from the University of Bristol on July 7, 1993 and tragically, Alvin passed away less than 5 weeks later.

Mrs. Ferreira deferred further studies for a year and then continued on with their 'plan', by herself. She did post-grad studies and then joined Bevan-Ashford in London for the required two-year training necessary to become a solicitor in the United Kingdom. She received her designation as a UK solicitor and remained with Bevan for five years, returning to Bermuda in 2000. Upon her return, Mrs. Ferreira was invited to join the law firm of Mello Jones & Martin and the firm suggested that she apply to be called to the Bermuda Bar. In 2000/2001, Kristen took her Vocational Course required post-grad credit at the College of Law in London and by the time she had completed her education had already been recruited by a London law firm.

With a year to wait until beginning her two-year UK solicitor's training programme she decided to return to Bermuda for this period.

Kristen worked as a summer intern at XL Capital Ltd and once back in Bermuda, she returned to work there. Kristen decided that, while here, she too would attempt to be called to the Bermuda Bar. She thrilled her mother by asking her to wait for her and allow them to complete this endeavour together. Mrs. Ferreira leapt at what had been a secret desire and this afternoon the two will take their walk to the Bar, one after the other.