Lawyers for Economic Advancement and Development
• 2015: First Internship - World Bank, Washington DC. In January 2015, our first scholarship winner Ms Lemlem Fiseha Minale (Ethiopia), was accepted into a one-semester externship with the World Bank in Washington DC laying the foundation for other placements with the group.
Photo: New York Dinner April 2015 (L-R): Lex:lead judge Fasil Amdetsion, Director Lakwame Anyane-Yeboa, President Anne Bodley, Director Feyi Obafemi, Scholarship winner and World Bank Intern Ms Lemlem Fiseha Minale (Ethiopia).
• 2015: Internship in Kampala, Uganda. In May 2015 the group was able to arrange a research internship for 2013 scholarship winner Ms Galindo Ruhiyyah Aliyo (Uganda) working with World Bank partners in Kampala, Uganda, on healthcare law. Galindo's US$500 stipend was funded by Cozen O'Connor.
Photo: Galindo Aliyo (far right) with consortium partners including UNICRI, the O'Neill Institute, and the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO), Kampala, Uganda.
• 2016: New Placement in Washington DC. Following our 2015 placement in Uganda, in January 2016 the World Bank assisted in placing Ms Sousena Kebede Tefera (Ethiopia) with the same consortium to further work on healthcare law from Washington DC. Sousena's US$500 stipend was gratefully funded by DLA Piper.
Photo: Sousena Kebede Tefera at the World Bank in Washington DC.
• 2016: Two New Internships - Kigali, Rwanda. In July 2016, Washington DC-based Forzley & Associates selected two Lex:leaders for internships working out of Kigali, Rwanda. Ms Mary Musoni's US$500 stipend was funded by London lawyer Mr Oliver Yaros; Mr Jean Claude Mahoro's US$500 stipend by Linklaters.
Photo: Rwandan Lex:leaders Mr Jean Claude Mahoro and Ms Mary Musoni looking up from their work with Forzley & Associates in Kigali, Rwanda.
• 2016: Bonus Internship, IBA Human Rights Institute. In August 2016, Lex:lead was able to arrange a month-long internship for 2012 Winner Ms Hilina Berhanu Degefa (Ethiopia) with the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute. The placement was in London UK where Hilina was studying at the University of London (SOAS).
Photo: Lex:lead London with Hilina Berhanu Degefa (Ethiopia): (L-R) Hilina; former Deputy Group Secretary Syeda Zinnat Akhter (Bangladesh); President Anne Bodley (Australia); Advisory Board Member Tola Ariyo (Nigeria).
• 2017: New Placement, Washington DC - Accepted into American University's summer school, Lex:lead arranged a one-month placement for Mr Masalu Luhula (Tanzania) with the Center for Water Security and Cooperation (CWSC) in June 2017. Masalu's internship was funded by Travers Smith.
Photo: Masalu Luhula at American University, Washington DC, June 2017
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• 2017: World Bank Ghana, Accra Ghana - in September Lex:lead arranged an internship for Ms Mawunya Etsa Kudu (Ghana) with the World Bank Ghana researching water law for the Ghanaian Ministry of Sanitation. Mawunya's stipend was gratefully funded by Linklaters.
Photo: Mawunya Kudu at the World Bank Ghana September 2017
• 2017: Law and healthcare internship Malawi - In November we made our third placement this year with a funded six-month part-time legal internship for Mr M Collins Banda (Malawi) chosen by US-based Medical Tourism Training (MTT). Collins' internship was funded by DLA Piper.
Photo: Collins Banda working for MTT, November 2017
• 2018: GIZ Zambia - In 2018 we placed Ms Nkandu Chota (Zambia) in a six-month part-time funded internship with the German development aid agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Zambia. She also received a stipend funded by Lex:lead named in honour of former A&O partner Stephen Denyer. In October 2018 Lex:lead provided a discretionary grant of US$300 to Nkandu in support of her studies.
Photo: Nkandu Chota at GIZ Zambia with internship coordinator Lex:lead Advisory Board member Sabine Midderhoff.
• 2018: Advocates for Community Alternatives Ghana - In August we were able to place 2017 Scholarship Winner Frederick Abu-Bonsrah (Ghana) in a four-month internship with Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA) in Ghana inter alia bringing cases to the ECOWAS Court. His stipend was funded by the Friends of Lex:lead.
Photo L-R: ACA Executive Director Jonathan Kaufman, Frederick Abu-Bonsrah, ACA Legal Director Lalla Toure, Volunteer Evelyn Zheng and ACA Financial Manager Eric.
• 2019: GIZ Zambia - In February Ms Chileke Sakala (Zambia) started a six-month full-time funded internship with the German development aid agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Zambia. While Lex:lead is not funding this one we had a role in the opportunity and are proud of Chileke's accomplishment.
Photo: Chileke Sakala (Zambia) at GIZ Zambia
• 2019: Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA) - The ACA (Ghana) was so pleased with its first Lex:lead intern that they were eager for a second and in June we were delighted to place Ms Nana Adwoa Baiden (Ghana) in a three-month internship with them. Nana's stipend was also funded by the Friends of Lex:lead.
Photo: Nana Adwoa Baiden at the ACA (Accra, Ghana) with colleagues.
• 2019: GIZ Zambia - In October another Lex:lead winner started a paid six-month internship with the German development aid agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Zambia when they selected Mr Kasanga Ngulube (Zambia) for the role. As a paid internship Lex:lead is not funding this placement, but we congratulate Kasanga all the same!
Photo: Kasanga Ngulube at GIZ, Zambia, October 2019
• 2019: World Bank Ghana - In November, the World Bank selected Lex:lead winner Mr Moses Baguma (Uganda) for a short-term assignment working remotely from Kampala, tied in with other projects focused on East Africa. Moses' stipend is again funded by the Friends of Lex:lead.
Photo: Moses at work for the World Bank, Kampala, Uganda (November 2019)
• 2020: World Bank - In January, the World Bank (Ghana) also selected Lex:lead winner Ms Bertha Seleman Nanyaro (Tanzania) for a short-term assignment working remotely from Dar es Salaam, tied in with other projects focused on East Africa. Bertha's stipend was funded by the Friends of Lex:lead.
Photo: Bertha Seleman Nanyaro
• 2020: Landesa (Dar es Salaam) - Lex:lead was delighted to have been recommended to US NGO Landesa which works for human rights and land rights. Itael Kimaro (Tanzania) was selected by Landesa for a two-month internship in July and August 2020, funded by Landesa.
Photo: Itael Kimaro working for Landesa, Dar es Salaam
• 2021: Protimos (Zimbabwe) - Earning high praise from his one-month assignment, in March 2021 Mr Panashe Gombiro (Zimbabwe) interned with human rights NGO Protimos, his stipend provided by the Friends of Lex:lead. Well done Panashe!
Photo: Mr Panashe Gombiro who interned with Protimos in March 2021
• 2021: African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (Gambia) - Commencing in February, the Friends of Lex:lead were able to provide a stipend in support of Mr Momodou Manneh (Gambia)'s six month internship with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in the Gambia.
Photo: Momodou Manneh at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, May 2021
• 2021: Protimos (Switzerland) - In August 2021, Lex:ead winner (2014) Ms Lulbahri Afeworki Araya (Eritrea) started her two-month internship with human rights group Protimos, working from Geneva, Switzerland, where she has been studying at the Geneva Academy of International Law and Human Rights. Lulbahri's stipend was supported by Advisory Board Member Matthew Weldon.
Photo: Coming soon.
• 2021: GIZ - Following in the footsteps of other winners, in August 2021, 2014 Lex:ead winner Ms Martha Laura Luhanga (Zambia) was offered a short-term internship with German development aid agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Lusaka. The opportunity is paid by GIZ.
Photo: Coming soon.
• 2022: Protimos - To support its Judicial Action Committee conference this year, UK NGO Protimos offered the opportunity to Mr Lincoln Majogo (Zimbabwe) working one-month full time with the group September/October 2022. Lex:lead provided Lincoln with a stipend.
Photo: Lincoln Majogo at work for Protimos, Harare, Zimbabwe, August 2022.
• 2022: Advocates for Community Alternatives - Lex:lead was delighted to place Mr Mowbray Jones-Nelson (Ghana) on a one-month internship with this Ghana-based group.
Interview with Mr Justice Iain Morley KC (UK):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Simone Scott-Sawyer (UK/Sierra Leone):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Simone Scott-Sawyer (UK/Sierra Leone):
What in your life has shaped your interest in law and development?
Iain retraces his time at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and other influencing factors.
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Simone Scott-Sawyer (UK/Sierra Leone):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Simone Scott-Sawyer (UK/Sierra Leone):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Simone Scott-Sawyer (UK/Sierra Leone):
"How does one make a difference without getting overwhelmed by the sheer scale of need that exists?" Judge Simone Scott-Sawyer is doing her bit.
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Dianna Kempe JP KC (Bermuda):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Simone Scott-Sawyer (UK/Sierra Leone):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Dianna Kempe JP KC (Bermuda):
"I hope those who have experienced the work of Lex:lead [...] will be inspired to pass on the benefits of their knowledge to young lawyers and to their countries."
Interview with Professor Francis Ssekandi (Uganda):
Interview with HE Judge Sir David Baragwanath (New Zealand):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Dianna Kempe JP KC (Bermuda):
"I... find the work [of Lex:lead] admirable...: the empowerment of new generations to think and work outside the [economic development] box."
Interview with HE Judge Sir David Baragwanath (New Zealand):
Interview with HE Judge Sir David Baragwanath (New Zealand):
Interview with HE Judge Sir David Baragwanath (New Zealand):
"... Lex:lead contributes notably to two overlapping values: identifying, debating and searching for answers on such topics; and developing and enriching the international professional community that overarches and facilitates them."
Interview with Hon Aminatta LR N'Gum (Gambia):
Interview with HE Judge Sir David Baragwanath (New Zealand):
Interview with HE Judge Sir David Baragwanath (New Zealand):
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"[Lex:lead] is exemplary because young lawyers get the opportunity to look at the law from a different angle. Development is usually not a topic lawyers would be talking about ...this initiative enables students to ... think outside the box."
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Sun-Hee Park (Korea):
Interview with Professor John Mukum Mbaku (Cameroon):
Interview with Professor John Mukum Mbaku (Cameroon):
"I was impressed [by the work of Lex:lead], and have been honoured to be a judge since 2019. In fact [Lex:lead] was one of the reasons I set up my own community group, the East Asian Lawyers Organisation."
Interview with Professor John Mukum Mbaku (Cameroon):
Interview with Professor John Mukum Mbaku (Cameroon):
Interview with Professor John Mukum Mbaku (Cameroon):
"[The work] of Lex:lead has had significant impact on the training of lawyers in many countries throughout [Africa]. [and] has been quite instrumental in making it possible for more young women in Africa to enter the legal profession."
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Carolin Crabbe (USA):
Interview with Professor John Mukum Mbaku (Cameroon):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Abdallah Gonzi (Tanzania):
"Lex:lead provides a much-needed resource for those who can guide the world into better legal frameworks that have a chance at fostering development."
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Abdallah Gonzi (Tanzania):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Abdallah Gonzi (Tanzania):
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Abdallah Gonzi (Tanzania):
"I think the Lex:lead essay competition is a great initiative. Students get a chance to relate their legal knowledge to tangible realities in their societies. [...] It prepares them to use their acquired skills to solve development challenges. And they draw lessons from similarly-placed countries all over the world."
In Memoriam: Dr Violet Odala Phiri (Malawi)
Interview with Lex:lead Judge Abdallah Gonzi (Tanzania):
In Memoriam: Dr Violet Odala Phiri (Malawi)
It was with sadness that Lex:lead learned of the passing of one of our longest-term judges, Dr Violet Odala Phiri (Malawi) in January 2023. An outstanding international lawyer specialised in child law, Dr Odala came to us from Save the Children (Ethiopia). We will be forever grateful for her years of service on our panel of judges, and will personally miss the gracious person she was. Rest in peace Violet.
January 2016: London reception to thank our judges, (L-R): 1 Lex:lead judge Dr Mark McQuinn (UK), 2 Scholarship Winner Ms Hilina Berhanu Degefa (Ethiopia), 3 Former Deputy Group Secretary Syeda Zinnat Akhter (Bangladesh/Italy), 4 President Anne Bodley (Australia), 5 Lex:lead judge Iain Morley QC (UK), 6 Lex:lead judge Ms Simone Scott-Sawyer (UK/Sierra Leone).
November 2018: At the World Bank, Washington DC, for Law, Justice and Development Week 2018--with LJD Week Student Competition Winner, Lex:leader Mawunya Kudu. (L-R): 1 Lex:lead President/Founder Anne Bodley; 2 Scholarship Winner Mawunya Kudu (Ghana); Lex:lead Director Lakwame Anyane-Yeboa.
July 2019: In recognition of Lex:lead's support of law students across the world's least developed countries, in 2019 Lex:lead President/Founder was awarded the American Bar Association (ABA) Outstanding International Corporate Counsel Award. Lex:lead President/Founder Anne Bodley (centre) with ABA Section of International Law Chair Robert Brown (L) and Co-chair Nigel Roberts (R), Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, UK, July 2019.
Lex:lead at 10! (We're actually 12) Left-right 1 Pamela Fapohunda (UK/Nigeria) (Advisory Board), 2 President/Founder Anne Bodley (Australia), 3 Stephen Denyer (UK) (Senior Advisory Board), 4 IBA President Sternford Moyo (Zimbabwe), 5 Pamela Chan (Singapore) (Friend of Lex:lead), 6 Pieter Steyn (South Africa) (Werksmans/LEX:Africa Alliance), 7 Lex:lead Judge Anurag Bana (India).
