Tara E. Frater is the Principal and Founder of FT Legal a boutique law firm based in Barbados. Her practice areas include: Corporate and Commercial, Finance, FinTech, Securities Regulation, Trust & Estate Planning, Immigration and Real Estate. In addition, she is Strategic Counsel at DLT Solutions Ltd, a FinTech consultancy based in the British Virgin Islands specialising in the provision of a wide range of niche services to blockchain, fintech and high-net worth individuals in the Caribbean.

Tara was a UWI Open Scholar and obtained her Bachelor of Laws Degree with Upper Second Class Honours from the University of the West Indies in 2001 and her Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in 2003.

She is an experienced attorney-at-law with over 15 years of experience working at leading firms in international financial services centres in the Caribbean, such as Walkers and Harney Westwood &Riegels in the British Virgin Islands. She moved on from Lex Caribbean, a firm based in Barbados, as a Partner in 2019 to found FT Legal. She has lectured in various fora on legal issues and her speaking engagements include various Caribbean and Latin American conferences hosted by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and other organisations.

Tara actively engages on issues affecting the international financial services sector in the Caribbean. She participates in various working groups focused on legislative reform and currently serves on the FinTech Advisory Committee and the Trust Review Committee for the Barbados Government. She formerly served as the Chairperson of the STEP Barbados Branch and in that capacity focused on community engagement and is a former Director of the Barbados International Business Association. She has repeatedly made the Citywealth IFC Power Women Top 200 List and their Leaders List, which recognise women of influence in government, private wealth, private client advisory and philanthropy across international financial centres. She has keen interest in cryptocurrencies and the transformative potential of blockchain technology.

Tara is a passionate believer in the power of entrepreneurship and technology as a catalyst for the development of the Caribbean and advocates for youth empowerment in this context.

Recent Publications and Speaking Engagements include:

Instructor in Web3, Blockchain and Metaverse Law Professional Development Certificate Program by Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (Canada) (2023)

Moderator in panel at the FinTech Islands Conference held in October 2022 Barbados on “Building Blocks to Unicorns: What You Need to Know About the Fintech Ecosystem in the Islands”(2022)

Speaker on “Will Drafting: Relevant Considerations for International Estates” in seminar held in September 2022 by STEP Barbados (2022)

Authored article in the IFC Review “Barbados: a Metaverse and Mecca in the Sun” (2021)

Speaker in panel at the Legal Next Conference hosted by the Toronto Metropolitan University on “Integrating Technology in Legal Education” (2021)

Speaker at the Jamaica Bar Association Annual Conference on “Estate Planning and International Considerations” (2021)

Authored article in Barbados International Finance & Business on “Raising Funds and Doing Business in the Digital Age: A Barbados Perspective” (2019)

Speaker at the Nevis Transformational Technologies Summit in Nevis in December 2018 on “A proposed legal and regulatory framework for Nevis”

Speaker in panel at TechBeach Retreat in Jamaica in November 2018 on “Cracking the Crypto Code: Scaling Cryptocurrencies to Mainstram Acceptance”)

Speaker in panel at the STEP LatAm Conference 2018 held in October 2018 in Mexico on “Blockchain: Applications Today And Challenges In The Future For The Wealth Management Industry”

Speaker in panel at the STEP Caribbean Conference 2018 held in May 2018 Barbados and delivered presentation on “Cryptocurrencies And Other Digital Assets - Estate Planning Considerations”

Speaker at seminar hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Barbados held in August 2017 and delivered presentation “Corporate Trust and Service Providers’ Obligations and AML Update”

Speaker at the Jamaican Bar Association Weekend Conference in November 2015 and presented paper on “Estate Planning & Trusts: The Jamaica- Barbados CARICOM Synergy”

Speaker at the STEP Caribbean Conference 2014 held between 12-14 May 2014 in the Bahamas; presented approximately 6,500 word paper titled “Trustee as a Shareholder”

Speaker at the STEP LatAm Conference 2013 held between 10-11 October 2013 in Uruguay; presented approximately 8,000 word paper titled “Estate Planning: Cross border considerations for Latin American HNWIs”