Country / Where did you grow up:
Benue State, Nigeria.
Academic qualifications:
LLB Hons, Benue State University, Nigeria.
Experience:
Uosu Janet Gbam is a Lawyer and certified counsellor. She offers pro bono legal service to underprivileged people in her community through her organization, Fortitude Attorneys (http://fortitudeattorneys.com). In the course of her three-year law career, she has personally secured the release of about 25 persons standing trial without legal representation, and hundreds more through her co-convened organization the Network of Pro bono Lawyers. The Network of Pro bono lawyers is a 500 plus legal community of pro bono lawyers committed to creating access to legal representation for indigent persons in Nigeria by collectively harnessing power, fostering collaboration and increasing the capacity of pro bono legal service providers. Janet has over seven years of volunteer experience across several justice organizations, including the Brooklyn Defenders Services (New York). Janet completed a six-week Civic Leadership Institute from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in 2017 as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship programme for young African Leaders. She has also implemented projects funded by the United States Department and the US Embassy Abuja. Janet is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society. She is also a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, studying for an LLM at the University of Pretoria.
Academic fields of interest:
Human Rights, Pro bono Legal service, Rights of Persons with disabilities, Rights of IDPs, Rights of Women and Children.
Position prior to the programme:
Principal Partner Fortitude Attorneys and Co-convener Network of Pro bono Lawyers.
