Nigerian Human Rights Attorney, Bamisope Adeyanju Named 2019–2020 Baker McKenzie Scholar

* Bamisope Adeyanju ’20 LL.M., an economic and social rights
advocate, was awarded $50,000 by the global law firm.

Bamisope Ibidolapo Adeyanju ’20 LL.M., a human rights attorney
who led an effort to uncover the misappropriation of loan refunds
in Nigeria, has been awarded the 2019–2020 Baker McKenzie
Scholarship.

Before beginning her LL.M. studies at Columbia Law School,
Adeyanju was an attorney at the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability
Project^[1] (SERAP), a
leading human rights organization in Lagos.
There, she led an effort to track down N388.304
billion, or about $1 billion, in London Paris Club ^[2]loan
r^[3]efunds^[4], which were
supposed to have been used to repay worker pensions and salaries.
Her efforts eventually led to a more robust accounting process for
a later disbursement of funds.

“My dream is to keep advocating on issues that affect a large
number of people,” she says. “That has always been my passion.”

Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort^[5], executive
committee member and chair of the Global Diversity and Inclusion
Committee at Baker McKenzie, says, “We are delighted to award this
year’s Baker McKenzie Scholarship to Bamisope, and are honored to
provide an opportunity to such a deserving and hardworking
candidate.”

“Bamisope’s strong passion and continuous efforts for advocating
on these important issues surrounding human rights make her an
ideal recipient of this scholarship program. Her achievements are
truly remarkable and exemplify the advancement of diversity and
inclusion.”

Adeyanju describes her interest in the law generally and in
human rights in particular as stemming from her desire to help
others.

“Even when I didn’t know what the law was, at a very young age I
found myself always wanting to assist people,” she says.

At Adekunle Ajasin University, where she earned an undergraduate
degree in law, Adeyanju prioritized public service projects. She
advocated for the rights of people who have spent years in pretrial
detention and served as president of the Green Law Society, raising
awareness of and securing solutions for sanitation issues in local
communities. The results inspired her.

“I thought, if we can achieve all of this by merely asking
questions as undergraduate students, there is so much more we can
do [as lawyers],” she explains.

After graduating from Nigerian Law School in 2015, Adeyanju
worked briefly at a law firm focused on international arbitration
and litigation, conducting research for proceedings before the
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. In
2017, she joined SERAP.

At Columbia Law School, where she is a Human Rights LL.M.
fellow, Adeyanju is a student in the Human Rights Clinic^[6], which works with
civil society organizations and individuals around the world to
advance rights and justice. Adeyanju joins a team, led by the Human
Rights Institute’s JoAnn Kamuf Ward, that is focused on racial
justice and socio-economic rights in the United States. This year,
they are advocating to promote the human right to sanitation in rural communities^[7], including in
Alabama.

“We are thrilled that Bamisope joins the clinic this year, and
her experience advancing socio-economic rights in Nigeria will help
the team in the U.S. to develop their advocacy strategy,” says
Columbia Law School Professor Sarah Knuckey^[8], director of the
clinic and faculty co-director of the Human Rights Institute (HRI).
“Her Baker McKenzie award is a fantastic recognition of her past
contributions to human rights and to her great potential as a
leading advocate.”

Adeyanju, who is taking human rights courses with Professor and
HRI Co-Director Sarah Cleveland^[9] and HRI Senior
Fellow Amal Clooney^[10], eventually
hopes to focus her work on environmental challenges in Africa and
to advocate for the adoption or expansion of freedom of information
and transparency laws across the continent.

The Baker McKenzie Scholarship at Columbia Law School, first
established in 2015, awards $50,000 to an LL.M. student who
demonstrates academic success and financial need, with a priority
placed on students from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern
Europe.

Adeyanju says receiving the scholarship is a “rare honor.”

“I appreciate the entire team at Baker McKenzie for the
philanthropic gesture and their continued commitment to diversity
and inclusion,” she says.

Culled from law.columbia.edu^[11]