Willliam Arthut Branville McCartney is a politician and the Political Leader of the Democratic National Alliance.

Early life and education

William Arthur Branville McCartney was born to William and Marina McCartney on the 6 May 1967.  Upon graduating from Kingsway Academy in 1985 Branville matriculated to Holborn Law Tutors in London, England where he read law and earned his LLB Honors Degree and graduated in 1989. He is a Barrister of the Inner Temple and in 1990 was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales as well as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. 

Career

McCartney began his legal career at Dupuch & Turnquest later moving to the law firm of Harry B. Sands & Co. where he rose to the rank of partner.  Later, he became a successful entrepreneur and served in various capacities both in and out of the legal realm including as a Director of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and a Chairman of the Chamber’s Crime Prevention Committee.

In 2000, McCartney established his own law firm – Halsbury Chambers. In 2003, just three years after the law firm’s inception, Halsbury Chambers achieved membership with the International Lawyers Network (ILN), an association of 91 high-quality, full-service law firms with over 5,000 lawyers worldwide spanning 66 countries on six continents. Halsbury Chambers is the only law firm in the Bahamas with ILN membership and prides itself on being the largest black owned and operated law firm in the country. Since its inception Halsbury Chamber has worked to educate and empower Bahamians regarding various aspects of the law, hosting an annual free clinic offering sound legal advice to the public.

In 2007, McCartney was elected Member of Parliament for Bamboo Town and he was subsequently appointed by the Prime Minister as Minister of State for Tourism & Aviation. The following year, on the 1st July 2008, Mr. McCartney was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for Immigration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he became instrumental in addressing long standing challenges within that department. On March 1, 2010 he resigned from the latter post.

His departure from the FNM ushered in the birth of a new political party - the Democratic National Alliance (DNA). McCartney was elected as Leader of the DNA on 12 May 2011.

Honours and awards

On the 13 June 2010, McCartney was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate Degree (Doctor of Human Letters) from Sojourner-Douglas College.

Personal life

McCartney is married to wife Lisa and they are the parents of three children, Kasia Tai, and Khail.