Legal Professions Research Group hosts pioneers of Women’s Law Clinic in Nigeria
In January LPRG welcomed Professors Omolade Olomola and Oluyemisi Bamgbose from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, to share insights into their groundbreaking work at the Women’s Law Clinic (WLC).
Their presentation highlighted the WLC’s mission since its launch in 2007: to provide pro bono legal assistance to indigent women and train law students through clinical legal education. The clinic addresses complex issues such as domestic violence, inheritance, child custody, reproductive rights, and marital finance.
It also emphasises interactive teaching, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and community outreach through schools, markets, hospitals, and religious centres.
Starting with a small team of five staff and 20 students, the clinic has grown to nine staff clinicians and a vibrant student body. They have handled over 530 cases, ranging from divorce and abuse to tenancy disputes and adoption. The clinic also runs a Street Law project to demystify legal processes for local communities.
The importance of collaborative partnerships
A key theme of the discussion was collaboration – with police, media, NGOs, community leaders, and other academic disciplines such as psychology, education, and medicine. These partnerships enable holistic support for women and families, addressing legal and non‑legal challenges. The speakers stressed the importance of “connecting town and gown” and creating safe spaces for women in a male‑dominated society.
Translating legal rights into practical realities
In their reflections, Professor Olomola emphasised that access to justice is an everyday practice grounded in meeting women where they are and translating legal rights into practical realities, thereby strengthening the connection between university and community. Professor Oluyemisi Bamgbose highlighted that cross‑disciplinary collaboration – bringing together lawyers, psychologists, social workers, educators and community leaders – multiplies impact by restoring confidence and protecting dignity alongside resolving disputes.
Challenges, rights, and responsibilities
The session also explored challenges, including limited resources, cultural barriers, and the emotional toll on students and staff. The professors shared strategies for preparing students through training, role play, and emotional resilience programmes. Professor Bamgbose noted that clinical education equips students with the habits of careful listening, resilience and public service, preparing them for the emotional labour of justice as well as doctrinal demands. She also underlined that pro bono work is both a professional right and a responsibility, and that effective use of ADR helps to ease court backlogs while building judicial trust in university law clinics as partners in justice.
Professor Olomola stressed the importance of creating safe spaces where women’s voices are heard in decision‑making arenas, viewing this as foundational to effective legal support.
They noted that law clinics are now a compulsory part of Nigeria’s legal curriculum, though the WLC remains the only specialised women’s clinic in the country.
The Women’s Law Clinic serving as a blueprint
Professor Bamgbose emphasised strong support from the University of Ibadan and growing recognition from courts, which now refer cases to the clinic for ADR. Both speakers expressed interest in international partnerships and using the WLC as a blueprint for similar initiatives across Africa and beyond.
Professor Hilary Sommerlad and Associate Professor Alex Batesmith (LPRG Director and Deputy Director), explained:
International and cross-disciplinary scholarship isn’t a luxury - it’s essential to tackling the complex realities of social and gender justice, as well as access to justice, areas that are underfunded and in crisis across the world. We look forward to exploring opportunities for collaboration with Ibadan University and the Women’s Law Clinic in the future.
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