Former Member of Parliament, Attorney General and Minister of Education of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Alfred M. Sears, QC is the managing partner of the commercial law firm, Sears & Co. in Nassau, The Bahamas. Sears & Co. is a boutique commercial litigation and corporate law firm that provides globally competitive legal services for Bahamian and international clients.  As managing partner of the firm, Alfred’s practice includes insolvency, commercial, civil & constitutional litigation, commercial transactions, financial services, gaming regulations, entertainment law and real estate development.

Alfred has been privileged to serve in public office in some of the most influential national and regional entities in the public sector. Elected Member of Parliament for the Fort Charlotte constituency in the 2002 General Elections, he has also served as Attorney General from 2002 to 2006 and Minister of Education, Science and Technology from 2002 to 2007.  From 2003 to 2004, Alfred was Chairman of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), bringing visionary leadership to that body which was engaged in a period of consolidation in its fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.  He most recently served as the Chairman of The College Council of the College of The Bahamas and led the transition to the University of The Bahamas from May 2012 to May 2016.

As the Member of Parliament for Fort Charlotte, Alfred sponsored, initiated or assisted with the realization of a number of community outreach programmes and projects, such as the Fort Charlotte After School Programme, the Annual Fort Charlotte Arts & Craft Festival, the Marching Band, Adult Computer Classes and the Annual Fort Charlotte Summer Camp, the building of the new T.G. Glover Primary School, the re-engineering of the Perpall Tract Drainage Canal, the construction of the new Magistrate Courts Complex on Nassau Street and the construction of the Ardastra Gardens Housing Subdivision.

Alfred is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia in the United States; The Bahamas and Jamaica. He began his legal career as a Court Attorney the Honourable Justice Seymour Schwartz, Civil Court of Manhattan, New York and worked with Mr. Berthan Macaulay, Q.C. in Kingston, Jamaica and Gibson & Co. in Nassau, Bahamas. He is experienced in commercial, corporate, civil and criminal litigation.

His experience as a tertiary educator began in 1978 as a lecturer of Caribbean Politics and International Relations at Hunter College, City University of New York that granted him Tenured Lecturer status in 1984. From 1992 to 2002, he also taught Labour Law, Business Law and Hospitality Law as an adjunct lecturer in Nassau for the University of the West Indies, Florida International University and Nova Southeastern University.

He holds a Certificate of Legal Education from the Norman Manley Law School; Juris Doctor Degree from the New York Law School; and Master of Philosophy, International Relations, Master of International Affairs, International Law and Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from Columbia University, New York.

Alfred has also served on a number of professional and community boards and committees including the Caribbean Theatre of the Performing Arts, New York; the United Methodist Church, Board of Global Ministries, New York; Caribbean Culture and Arts Foundation, New York; Caribbean Students Association, Columbia University; Interdenominational Christian Youth Association, Bahamas and Fort Charlotte Community Development Centre, Bahamas.

He has written and published a book A Community Life, Alfred M. Sears: A Redemptive Story from Reform School to Attorney General and Minister of Education of The Bahamas; and numerous papers and editorials that appeared in international publications and national newspapers including: “United States Invasion of Panama: Implications for International Law and The Bahamas”, New York Law Journal Jan. 25, 1990; “HIV Infection in The Bahamas: Medico-Legal Ethics and Public Policy Considerations,” The Young Attorney (1992), The Bahama Journal, (March 28, April 4^th, 11^th & 18^th, 1992); “Human Rights and the Treatment of Haitians in The Bahamas,” The Young Attorney (1991) and “Transitional Banking in International Relations; Implications for Third World Political Economy,” Journal of The Third World Diplomacy, (Winter, 1982).

Alfred is married to Marion Bethel, a gifted poet.  Alfred and Marion are partners in the law firm Sears & Co.  He is the father of three children: Adelaja, who lives in New York, Ifedayo and Nia who live in The Bahamas.