At Namati, our people are our greatest resource.
From our staff to our board, we are united through an unyielding commitment to our mission and deeply-held common values.
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162 results
Saio Sesay
Security Guard
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Saio Sesay
Security Guard
Land & Environmental Justice
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Saio Sesay works with Namati Freetown team as a security guard ensuring the safety and security of properties and lives of its employees for over 10 years now. Saio is a husband and father of two kids and is currently pursuing a university qualification to study as an Accountant.
Sam Sylvester Luseni
Paralegal
Kenema, Sierra Leone
Sam Sylvester Luseni
Paralegal
Land & Environmental Justice
Kenema, Sierra Leone
Sam currently holds a Higher Teacher's Certificate (HTC) Secondary in Language Studies. He previously worked for TIMAP FOR JUSTICE as a Criminal Justice Paralegal (CJP) in Sierra Leone and later became the paralegal focal person for the South of Sierra Leone when he joined the Legal Aid Board. His hobbies includes sports and advocating for the less privileged.
Sara Vandepeute
Controller
United States
Sara Vandepeute
Controller
United States
Sara Vandepeute recently joined Namati as Controller and is responsible for the organization’s accounting operations. She is a mission-driven accounting and finance professional with over fifteen years of experience in a global nonprofit setting. Prior to Namati, Sara led the finance and accounting team at Vital Voices Global Partnership where she played a critical role building the organization from a small nonprofit to a $22m+ organization. As part of her role at Vital Voices, she also oversaw procurement, contracts, subgrant management, and grant compliance with a focus on US Federal Assistance Awards.
Before Vital Voices, Sara worked at AFS Intercultural Programs, a nonprofit that facilitates international high school student exchange programs. She is also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and served as high school science and math teacher in Namibia. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Willamette University in Salem, OR.
Sara Wade
Senior Operations Manager, LEC
United States
Sara Wade
Senior Operations Manager, LEC
Global Cross-Cutting
United States
In this role, Sara works with teams across our Land, Environment, and Climate program and Global cross-cutting teams.
Sara re-joined the Namati team after most recently focusing on the blue economy in New England. Her work over a decade in international development and global health has brought her across the globe focusing on issues like strengthening healthcare systems in rural and peri-urban communities, environmental justice, human rights, and sustainability. She holds a dual BS in Political Science, Psychology, Economic Geography, and Public Health, and an MSc in Human Rights and International Criminal Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Sarah Bradford-Andrew
Accounting Associate
Sarah Bradford-Andrew
Accounting Associate
Global Cross-Cutting
Sarah is originally from Canada. She joined Namati in October 2024 on the Global Finance and Accounting team as an associate. During her undergrad, she worked in the business office for the largest privately held tourism operation in Canada in Niagara Falls. After completing her undergraduate degree at Toronto Metropolitan University in International Finance and Economics, she relocated to Washington DC to complete her masters at Texas A&M's DC campus in National Security and Intelligence with a concentration on Middle East and North African studies.
Sarah Kamara
Senior Paralegal
Port Loko, Sierra Leone
Sarah Kamara
Senior Paralegal
Land & Environmental Justice
Port Loko, Sierra Leone
Sarah Kamara is a paralegal with Namati in Sierra Leone. She began her career as a community-based paralegal with BRAC Sierra Leone, working on human rights and gender issues. She has also worked with AdvocAid on the “Right of Female Accused Persons” Project – helping women in detention to access their rights as detainees.
Sarah holds a Higher Teacher’s Certificate in Social Studies / Government from Milton Margai College of Education and Technology.
Selma Melkich
Senior Data Systems Officer
Washington, DC
Selma Melkich
Senior Data Systems Officer
Global Cross-Cutting
Washington, DC
Selma Melkich is a Senior Data Systems Officer on the Global Programs team at Namati. In this role, she will work to ensure that Namati's M&E systems are optimized for programmatic excellence and organizational learning. Prior to Namati, Selma supported the implementation of key M&E activities in global health programs in southern Africa, with an emphasis on data systems and management, data visualization, and data analysis. Selma received her MSc in Global Health from George Mason University and her BA in International Relations from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Serano Varela
Senior Accounting and Finance Officer Mozambique
Maputo, Mozambique
Serano Varela
Senior Accounting and Finance Officer Mozambique
Health Justice
Maputo, Mozambique
Serano Varela was born in April of 1981 in the remote northeast corner of Mozambique’s Sofala Province, in the midst of the country’s 16-year civil war. Both of his parents were farmers. Varela’s childhood was very turbulent, and gunfire was a normal part of everyday life. He began attending school at age eight, but his education suffered from constant interruptions until the war ended in 1992. Varela eventually moved with his mother to the provincial capital, Beira, to further pursue his studies, completing high school in 2003. He then went on to Maputo to complete a degree in Accounting and Finance at Eduardo Mondlane University. Prior to joining Namati in April of 2016, he worked as Finance Officer at Pathfinder International and most recently as the Accounts and Finance Manager for the Mozambique Bar Association.
Sergio Francisco Quissimuco
Guard
Inhambane, Mozambique
Sergio Francisco Quissimuco
Guard
Health Justice
Inhambane, Mozambique
Sergio was born and raised in the Inhambane, Siquiriva neighborhood of Mozambique. Previous to working as a guard at Namati, he worked for a Security company, MOSEG, as a security guard. Sergio successfully completed his primary education at Mochare Primary School, and in his spare time, enjoys playing football.
Sheik Mannah
Senior Paralegal
Kenema, Sierra Leone
Sheik Mannah
Senior Paralegal
Land & Environmental Justice
Kenema, Sierra Leone
Originally from Bo in southern Sierra Leone, Sheik received his Bachelor's degree at Fourah Bay College. Since he graduated, he has worked for several human rights organisations, including the National Power Authority, BRAC, Childfund, and the Legal Aid Board.
Most recently at the Legal Aid Board, Sheik served as a paralegal in the Bonthe district where he practiced legal empowerment in small communities. Here he was also responsible for preparing court files for lawyers when they had cases in court and securing bail for young people in conflict with the law.
Sheik has received extensive training on negotiation, arbitration, the ADR process, and land and environmental protection.
Sonia Uamusse
Health Advocate
Maputo, Mozambique
Sonia Uamusse
Health Advocate
Health Justice
Maputo, Mozambique
Sonia was born in Inhambane, Mozambique and now lives in Maputo Province.
Before joining Namati, she was part of a Mumemo health committee, where she helped people in her community understand their rights.
She studied at Franciscans Hospitaller Secondary School.
Sonkita Conteh
Managing Director, Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Sonkita Conteh
Managing Director, Sierra Leone
Land & Environmental Justice
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Sonkita is a Sierra Leonean lawyer and co-founder of Namati.
He leads a team of community paralegals in Sierra Leone working with communities to secure their land rights and protect their environment. He has nearly 20 years’ of litigation experience and was a member of the General Legal Council, the body that regulates the legal profession in Sierra Leone. In 2017, he was named as one of the Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneurs of the Year. Sonkita is also a Tutu Leadership Fellow.
Selected Media and Publications
- Annihilation By Deforestation; How The Pursuit Of Short Term “Gain” Will Be The Death Of A Country, Sierra Express Media, February 8, 2021
- From Law To Action: The Local Content Agency Act 2016, Sierra Express Media, February 19, 2017
- Non‐judicial grievance mechanisms in land‐related disputes in Sierra Leone, FAO Legal Papers No. 99, 2016
- Condoning corporate malfeasance in large-scale land acquisitions: Is Sierra Leone becoming the “Wild West”? The Salone Monitor. June 29, 2016.
- "Lack of funding may derail implementation of Sierra Leone’s progressive land policy." The Salone Monitor. June 07, 2016.
- "Bringing law to life: Paralegal interventions in natural resource exploitation." This is Africa. April 20, 2016.
- "Sierra Leone News: Writing the new Sierra Leone constitution: why an open, inclusive and objective process is necessary." Awoko. November 19, 2015.
- "Questions we need to ask about what would be the second largest rubber plantation in Africa." Sierra Leone Standard Times. August 31, 2015.
- "Large scale land investments and Sierra Leone’s draft National Land Policy." Concord Times. May 27, 2015.
- "Land owning families in Eastern Sierra Leone sue Chinese company and Paramount Chief to recover land." Sierra Express Media. February 17, 2015.
- "Sierra Leone’s proposed land tenure make-over: Is the draft National Land Policy equal to the challenge?" Awoko. February 10, 2015.
- "Walking the talk this time: abolishing the death penalty in Sierra Leone." Sierra Express Media. June 01, 2014.
- "The making of a new constitution: suggestions for the committee of 80." Sierra Express Media. March 16, 2014.
- "Absconding jurors: one more reason for criminal justice reform in Sierra Leone." Sierra Express Media. February 28, 2014.
- "How to write equitable large-scale land leases: an advice to lawyers." Sierra Express Media. October 3, 2013.
- “Bail in Sierra Leone’s Courts: through the lens of the GAVI trials.” Sierra Express Media. June 21, 2013.
- “Obama Meets Koroma: Time to Talk Land Rights.” (with Vivek Maru) The Huffington Post. March 27, 2013.
- “From Law to Practice Part I: The Sexual Offences Act 2012″ Sierra Express Media. February 25, 2013.
- “Between paralegals and local courts: chiefs and conflict resolution in rural Sierra Leone.” Sierra Express Media. January 27, 2013.
- "Discarding the resource curse label: the need for corporate accountability in natural resource exploitation in Sierra Leone.” Sierra Express Media. October 2012.
- “The Sierra Leone Judiciary and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Recommendations: A case of motion but no progress?” Open Society Initiative for West Africa 11 June 2012.
- “New legal aid law in Sierra Leone embraces the role of paralegals.” (with Lotta Teale) Open Society Foundations. May 11, 2012.
- “Exploring the community-level impact of paralegals in rural Sierra Leone.” Sierra Express Media. September 2011.
- “Providing concrete solutions to basic justice problems: How community-based paralegals are making a difference in rural Sierra Leone.” The Monitor, Volume 50, Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law. April 2011.
- “ESC Rights in practice: The right to adequate water and sanitation.” (with Lara El-Jazairi) Haki Zetu Handbook Series, Amnesty International & COHRE. 2010.
- “Expanding grassroots justice services in Sierra Leone” Justice-ILAG Legal Aid Newsletter. Sept-Oct. 2010.
- “The whereabouts of reason in judgments and rulings of courts in Sierra Leone” Sierra Express Media. March 2010.
- “10 misconceptions about paralegals in Sierra Leone” Sierra Express Media. March 2010.
- “Empowering the poor through community-based paralegals” The Monitor, Volume 42, Center for Accountability and Rule of Law. March 2010.
- “Analysis of the judgment of the Constitutional Court of South Africa in the Joe Slovo Community Evictions Case” (with Bret Thiele) Housing & ESC Rights Law Quarterly, Volume 6, No 3, September 2009.
- “The significance of human rights in MDG-based policy making on water and sanitation: An application to Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Laos” (with Ashfaq Khalfan, Kerubo Okioga, Rasika Mendes, Lara El-Jazaira & Thorsten Keifer) COHRE, Geneva. 2009.
- “A rights-based review of the legal and policy framework of the Ghanaian water and sanitation sector” COHRE, Geneva. 2008.
- “Water Services Fault Lines: An Assessment of South Africa’s Water and Sanitation Provision across 15 Municipalities” (with Kate Tissington, Marc Dettmann, Malcolm Langford, and Jackie Dugard) COHRE, CALS & NHCR. October 2008.
- “First major test case on the right to water in South Africa” (with Sandra Liebenberg) Legal Brief Today. May 2008.
- “Big leap forward for the right of access to water in South Africa” (with Ashfaq Khalfan) ESR Review, Volume 9, No 2. June 2008.
- “A Landmark Judgment of the South African High Court in the Pre-paid Water Meters Case: Lindiwe Mazibuko & Ors v. The City of Johannesburg & Ors” (with Ahfaq Khalfan and Bret Thiele) Housing and ESC Rights Law Quarterly, Volume 5 No. 2 June 2008.
- “Case Studies on Efforts to Implement the Right to Water and Sanitation in Urban Areas: South Africa” in H Grimes (Ed) Case Studies on Efforts to Implement the Right to Water and Sanitation in Urban Areas: Brazil, Kenya, South Africa and Sri Lanka” (with Hilary Grimes and Ashfaq Khalfan) COHRE Working Paper prepared for UN-Habitat, March 2008.
- “Country Review of Legal and Political Challenges to the Domestication of the Anti-Corruption Conventions in Sierra Leone” Transparency International. 2006.
- The making of a new constitution: suggestions for the committee of 80 As a special committee undertakes to reform Sierra Leone’s constitution – which was established in 1991, just before the country’s decade-long war – Namati’s Sonkita
- ‘Absconding jurors: one more reason for criminal justice reform in Sierra Leone’ Amid chronic delays, excessive personal cost for jurors, and a growing lack of public confidence in the judiciary, Namati’s Sonkita Conteh suggests that “trial by
- Brochure- How to Protect Your Community’s Land and Natural Resources A brochure published by Namati and partner SiLNoRF is being distributed to communities around Makeni, Sierra Leone, where large-scale land investment deals are increasingly affecting
Sophia Macharia
Senior Finance and Operations Associate
Kenya
Sophia Macharia
Senior Finance and Operations Associate
Global Cross-Cutting
Kenya
Sophia is an accountant who is passionate about finance and intrigued by the developments and innovations in the field. She is a CPA finalist with a Bachelors in Agribusiness Management and currently pursuing her masters, MCOM, Finance. Before joining Namati, Sophia worked in the construction & allied, banking, and non-profits industries. She is keen for her experience, knowledge, and wit to be put to meaningful & purposeful action. She thoroughly enjoys new explorations and the arts.
Suzie Choi
Senior Associate, Fundraising Operations and Systems
Suzie Choi
Senior Associate, Fundraising Operations and Systems
Global Cross-Cutting
Suzie Choi is the Senior Associate (Fundraising Operations and Systems) of the Resource Mobilization team at Namati. She is a firm believer in inclusive, locally led, and sustainable development. Prior to Namati, Suzie started her career in international development at Counterpart International, where she built her experience in strategy, new business development, project management, and creative problem solving. She graduated from Duke University, cum laude, with a B.A. in International Comparative Studies, and she completed an honors thesis on indigenous movements in Ecuador in achieving their unique vision of "development" titled Circulatory Progress: Anti-Belt and Road Initiative Indigenous Movements in Ecuador. During her free time, she enjoys experimental cooking, indoor climbing, and playing flute.
Sylvester Appiah-Honny
Network Officer, Grassroots Justice Network
Ghana
Sylvester Appiah-Honny
Network Officer, Grassroots Justice Network
Global Network and Advocacy
Ghana
I am a trained Paralegal and an Advocate with 9 years’ experience in human rights practice and protection with regional focus in Africa, capacity building, prisoners’ rights, advocacy, public education, team building, rule of law, collaboration/networking expertise, and legal reforms within Ghana’s criminal justice sector.
I hold Bachelor of Laws Degree and Arts [in Psychology, Geography and Resource Development] from the Central University and University of Ghana respectively. Prior to joining Namati, I served in various capacities at the POS Foundation i.e Project Manager, Paralegal, Admin/Finance Officer and managed several projects in Ghana and the West African Sub Region. I like swimming, hiking, and adventure.
Selected Projects
- Justice For All Programme - which provides access to justice for Pre-trial Detainees in efforts to de-congest overcrowded prison facilities by organizing Mobile Special Court Sittings in Prisons to adjudicate Remand cases.
- In-Prison Paralegal Program – Trained incarcerated persons and officers as paralegals to offer assistance to fellow incarcerated persons to appeal on their cases by self-representation per Article 19 (2)(f) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
- UN Universal Periodic Review – Managed Ghana’s Civil Society Platform under the UPR, a peer review mechanism of the human right record of member states of the United Nations
- Promotion of Rule of Law and Judiciary – Promoting Small Scale Cross Border Trade, Rule of Law and Use of Technology in West Africa
Sylvia Owuor
Senior Operations Officer
Nairobi, Kenya
Sylvia Owuor
Senior Operations Officer
Global Cross-Cutting
Nairobi, Kenya
I am a dedicated and highly adaptable Operations & Finance expert with over a decade of experience providing comprehensive operational and financial management support. An astute leader known for organizing and driving complex operations while effectively recommending and curating fitting policies to increase organizational operational efficiency.
I have a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Option) Degree and I am currently pursuing an MBA in Strategic Management at The Daystar University. I served as the Finance and Administration Coordinator at Kituo Cha Sheria; the oldest legal aid and access to justice organization in Kenya and also served as the Operations and Impact Senior Fellow at Financing Alliance for Health; an Africa-based, African-led partnership that works with governments, donors, and the private sector to address systemic financing challenges to scaling primary and community health programs across Sub-Saharan Africa. Outside the office, I am committed to providing mentorship to final year university students on career and life skills. I am currently trying my hand at baking and pastry arts. I love reading autobiographies and trying out various board games - if you challenge me to a game of poker - I will win.Teddy Odhiambo
Citizenship Programme Associate
Nairobi, Kenya
Teddy Odhiambo
Citizenship Programme Associate
Citizenship Justice
Nairobi, Kenya
Teddy has over three years of experience working in finance and administration. This is why he is confident and excited about his present position at Namati. Teddy is a CPA-K with a bachelor's degree in education arts from Kenyatta University He enjoys integrating technology into processes to increase operational accuracy and efficiency.
Teddy worked as an accountant for Kituo Cha Sheria and Blue Door Foundation before joining Namati. His commitment to the universe through Namati is to provide his services in order to ensure an egalitarian future and a society in which everyone receives justice without bigotry.Tomlin Ben-Davies
Driver
Port Loko, Sierra Leone
Tomlin Ben-Davies
Driver
Land & Environmental Justice
Port Loko, Sierra Leone
My name is Tomlin Ben-Davies. I am a driver by profession who holds a diploma in Business
Management from BankTek college, Sierra Leone. I am married with three children (all boys). I
have worked as a driver for the past twenty years. I have worked for Non-Governmental such
as GOAL Sierra Leone and several others as well as companies. I like watching football and
other outdoor games form part of my hobbies.
Tran Hoang
Senior Officer, Operations
Washington, DC
Tran Hoang
Senior Officer, Operations
Global Cross-Cutting
Washington, DC
There’s a William Stafford poem about the “thread” that runs through our lives – a thread that can guide us if we hold onto it. Tran has followed this “thread” to the Senior Operations Associate position at Namati, where she will provide support to people operations, finance, and systems and technology teams. She brings a breadth of experience to this position, where she is able to take what she’s learned in one domain and bring it to another.
Tran most recently interned with the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, an 80-acre research, demonstration, advocacy and organizing center in Sonoma County, California that develops strategies for regional-scale community resilience. Tran holds a master’s degree in Nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Supply Chain Management from the University of Maryland.
Vivek Maru
Founder and CEO
Washington, DC
Vivek believes we can advance social and environmental justice by deepening democracy.
Vivek started Namati in 2011. Since then, Namati and its partners have supported cadres of community paralegals—sometimes known as barefoot lawyers—in seven countries. These advocates work with their communities to protect common lands, enforce environmental law, and secure basic rights to healthcare and citizenship.
In all seven countries, paralegals and communities have achieved concrete remedies to grave harms as well as major improvements to entire systems, including a new national program in Mozambique to ensure healthcare is accountable to local communities, Myanmar’s first legal commitment to honor the customary land rights of ethnic minorities, and in Sierra Leone, one of the most progressive laws on land, environmental, and climate justice in the world.
Globally, Namati convenes the Grassroots Justice Network, made up of more than 4,300 groups from over 185 countries who are learning from one another and collaborating on common challenges. This community successfully advocated for the inclusion of justice in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and for the creation of the Legal Empowerment Fund, with a goal of putting $100 million into grassroots justice efforts worldwide.
Vivek is co-author of Community Paralegals and the Pursuit of Justice (Cambridge University Press). His TED talk, “How to Put the Power of Law in People’s Hands,” has been viewed over a million times.
Vivek is on the road a lot, but he has a home and family in Washington, DC. He tries to spend time in a forest or other natural place every week, wherever he is.
Vivek studies and teaches capoeira at Universal Capoeira Angola Center.
Follow Vivek on LinkedIn and subscribe here to his Substack, “Chasing Justice,” through which he offers missives about the global movement for grassroots justice.
Work life before Namati
From 2003 to 2007, Vivek co-founded and co-directed the Sierra Leonean organization Timap for Justice, which has been recognized by the International Crisis Group, Transparency International, and President Jimmy Carter for advancing justice in the context of a weak state and a plural legal system.
From 2008 to 2011, he served as senior counsel in the Justice Reform Group of the World Bank. His work focused on rule of law reform and governance, primarily in West Africa and South Asia.
In 1997-1998 he lived in a hut of dung and sticks in a village in Kutch, his native place, working on rainwater conservation and girls’ education with two grassroots development organizations—Sahjeevan and Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan.
Learning, writing, teaching, supporting
Vivek graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude, and Yale Law School. His undergraduate thesis was called Mohandas, Martin, and Malcolm on Violence, Culture, and Meaning.
Vivek writes regularly—see links to publications below—and has co-taught the Legal Empowerment Leadership Course, which Central European University and the Bernstein Center for Human Rights at New York University School of Law co-host.
Vivek serves on the boards of Renew New England, which is pursuing a Green New Deal across that region, and the Constitutional Accountability Center, which is focused on fulfilling the progressive promise of the U.S. constitution. He also serves on the advisory council for the Climate Justice Resilience Fund. Vivek was an affiliate expert with the UN Commission on Legal Empowerment and is a member of the global Task Force on Justice.
Recognition
- Human Rights Global Treasure Award, Article 3 (2023)
- Racial Equity 2030 Prize, a $20m award granted to Namati by the Kellogg Foundation and Lever for Change (2022).
- Global Pluralism Award, granted to Namati Kenya by the Global Centre for Pluralism (2021).
- Social Entrepreneurship of the Year Awardee, co-named with Sonkita Conteh, Director of Namati Sierra Leone, Schwab Foundation and the World Economic Forum (2017).
- Skoll Awardee for Social Entrepreneurship, Skoll Foundation (2016).
- Legal Rebel, The American Bar Association (2015).
- Ashoka Fellow, Ashoka (2014).
- Pioneer Award, North American South Asian Bar Association (2008).
Selected Publications
Book
- Community Paralegals and the Pursuit of Justice, with Varun Gauri and others, Cambridge University Press (2018)
Essays and Op-Eds
- "Don’t Give Up On The Law—Reclaim It," Forbes (2026)
- "What does Juneteenth have in common with today’s immigration raids?," Los Angeles Times (2025)
- "To save carbon projects, make them fair," The Telegraph (2024)
- "Maryland makes historic climate commitment for new fiscal year," with Shashawnda Campbell, Baltimore Sun (2022)
- "Attorneys, Fight For Enviro Justice With Both Law And Protest," Law 360 (2021)
- "Bringing the Power of Law to the People" Interview with Sonkita Conteh, The Brockovich Report (September 2021)
- "Digital IDs Make Systemic Bias Worse," with Laura Goodwin, Aisha Khagai, and Mustafa Mahmoud, Wired (2020)
- “Myanmar is confiscating land that people depend on,” with Nwe Ni Soe, Thomson Reuters Foundation News (2019)
- “The World Bank Shouldn’t Hide When It Funds Projects that Harm Communities,” The Washington Post (2018)
- “To Stop the Relentless March on Climate Change We Must Empower Those Most at Risk,” Wired (2017)
- “Only the Law Can Restrain Trump,” Foreign Policy (2017)
- “Why Norway Should Lead a Global Fund for Legal Empowerment,” Aftenposten (2016)
- “It’s Time Canada Makes Access to Justice a Reality for All,” with Adrian Di Giovanni and Lotta Teale, The Hill Times (2016)
- “Barefoot Lawyers, Communities, and the Earth: Legal Empowerment and the Struggles for Stewardship,” Article 3 Advisors (2016)
- “Skoll World Forum – Three Takeaways for the Legal Empowerment Movement” (2016)
- “Access to justice for all? Now that would be a measurably good thing,” with Stacey Cram, The Guardian (2016)
- “Law and disorder: rough justice rules in the developing world,” The Guardian (2014)
- “From Bribery to Empowerment,” with Margaux Hall, Project Syndicate (2012)
- A Letter to Rio+20: Sustainable Development Isn’t Possible Without Land Rights, with Andy White, NextBillion (2012)
- Akbar, Birbal, and a South Asia Regional Meeting on Monitoring and Evaluating Legal Empowerment (2012)
- “Legal Power to the People,” Project Syndicate (2011)
- “For the Sake of Fairness: Justice in Development,” World Bank Governance for Development blog (2011)
- “Law for the Global Poor,” with Tiernan Mennen, letter to the editor, Foreign Affairs (2010)
Journal Articles
- How Sierra Leone Enacted One of the Most Progressive Land, Climate, and Environmental Justice Laws in the World, Sonkita Conteh and Vivek Maru, Environmental Justice Journal (2023)
- A Pathway to Climate and Environmental Justice, American Journal of Law and Equality (2023)
- “Give People the Law,” Democracy: A Journal of Ideas (2020)
- “What Do We Know about Legal Empowerment? Mapping the Evidence,” with Laura Goodwin, Hague Journal on the Rule of Law (2017)
- “Transforming Policy into Justice: The Role of Health Advocates in Mozambique,” with Ellie Feinglass and Nadja Gomes, Health and Human Rights Journal (2016)
- “Access to Justice and Legal Empowerment: A Review of World Bank Practice,” Hague Journal on the Rule of Law (2010)
- “Allies Unknown: Legal Empowerment and Social Accountability,” Health and Human Rights Journal (2010)
- “Between Law and Society: Paralegals and the Provision of Justice Services in Sierra Leone and Worldwide,” The Yale Journal of International Law (2006)
Book Chapters/Policy Documents/Practitioner Guides
- Foreword, with Abigail Moy, Empoderamiento jurídico y abogacía comunitaria en Latinoamérica: experiencias de acceso a la justicia desde la comunidad,” Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia and Namati (2019)
- Foreword, “Guide to Organizing and Working with Community-based Paralegals,” Namati (2019)
- “The Case to Fund and Protect Grassroots Justice Defenders,” with Abigail Moy and Stacey Cram, Justice for All Policy Brief (2019)
- “Practice Guide for Environmental Justice Paralegals,” with Manju Menon, Meenakshi Kapoor, and Kanchi Kohli, Namati (2017)
- “Legal Empowerment and the Land Rush: Three Struggles” in The International Rule of Law Movement – A Crisis of Legitimacy and the Way Forward, Harvard University Press (2014)
- “Legal Empowerment and the Administrative State: A Map of the Landscape, and Three Emerging Insights,” with Abigail Moy, Justice Initiatives (2013)
- The World Bank: New Directions in Justice Reform, with Daniel Adler, Christina Biebesheimer, and others, World Bank (2012)
- Timap For Justice Paralegal Manual, with Simeon Koroma, Daniel Sesay, and others (2012)
- Framing Local Conflict and Justice in Bangladesh, with Maitreyi Bordia Das, World Bank (2011)
- Community-Based Paralegal Programs: A Practitioner’s Guide, with Felisa Tibbitts and others, Open Society Justice Initiative (2010)
- “Timap for Justice: A Paralegal Approach to Justice Services in Sierra Leone,” Access to Justice in Africa and Beyond: Making the Rule of Law a Reality (Penal Reform International, Northwestern University School of Law, 2007)
- “The Challenges of African Legal Dualism: An Experiment in Sierra Leone,” Justice Initiatives, Open Society Justice Initiative (2005)
- Ravaging the Vulnerable: Abuses Against Persons at High Risk of HIV Infection in Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch (2003)
- “The FTAA, Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment, and Human Rights,” Human Rights Watch (2002)
- “Poetic Meets Tragic: Tagore in the Light of Max Weber,” The Poet’s Challenge to Schooling: Creative Freedom for the Human Soul- A Generative and Critical Analysis of Rabindranath Tagore’s Innovations in Shiksha (2001)
Select Public Talks
- Ashoka "Welcome Change" series (February 18, 2026)
- Opening Plenary: Power and Promise of Legal Empowerment to Rebuild Democracy from the Grassroots at the US Legal Empowerment Convening in Chicago (February 3, 2026)
- Plenary Session: Meeting the Moment: A Conversation on Access to Justice, Legal Empowerment and Democracy at the International Access To Justice Forum (September 27, 2025)
- Closing Plenary: To Hope is to Act at the World Justice Forum (June 26, 2025)
- “Environmental justice from Sierra Leone to DC,” Empower DC 2024 Environmental Justice Summit (April 2024).
- “Conservation and grassroots legal empowerment,” Bronx Zoo (April 2024).
- “Legal Empowerment for Dignity, Democracy and Justice,” Center for Legal Empowerment of the Poor (CLEP) at OP Jindal Global University (February 2024).
- Carbon Markets and Climate Justice, Columbia Climate School (September 2023)
- Using the Rule of Law and Human Rights to Prevent Human Conflicts, SDG 16 Conference (May 2023)
- “A pathway to global environmental justice” in conversation with 350.org founder May Boeve, Temescal Works (May 2023)
- Using the Law to Unify and Empower Community Action, Keynote address, Waterkeeper Alliance Conference (June 2022)
- Fight a land grab, change the system: a pathway towards climate justice, Gruber Distinguished Lecture in Global Justice, Yale Law School (October 25, 2021)
- CEOs Commit to Helping Marginalized Communities Access Legal Resources, Global Citizen Live (October 2021)
- Ecomodern Justice for a Multi-Polar World, Breakthrough Institute (September 2021)
- Beyond Legal Aid: Legal Empowerment and Community-Based Justice, Decolonizing Justice: Advancing Community-Grown Justice Solutions (November, 2020)
- The Global Struggle for Environmental Justice, The/Nudge Global Forum (August 2020)
- Housing Injustice and the Legal Empowerment Toolkit, Public Interest Housing Workshop (August 2020)
- Jainism and the Struggle for Environmental Justice, Young Jains of America Day 2020 (July 2020)
- Environmental Justice, Harvard India Conference (February 2020)
- The Global Struggle for Environmental Justice, Stanford Law School (October 2019)
- Strategies for Deeper Transformation, Biodiversity Funders Group Annual Meeting (June 2019)
- Land, Environment & Global Justice: Sierra Leone and Around the World, World Affairs Council (May 2019)
- Leading the Change, Task Force on Justice Meeting (February 2019)
- Social Innovation Outlook, World Economic Forum (January 2019)
- Reimagined in the USA: From Inspiration to Action, Keynote address, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Annual Meeting (September 2018)
- The Global Movement for Legal Empowerment, Keynote address, Yale Law School, Bernstein Fellowship Human Rights Symposium (April 2018)
- Legal Empowerment - Advancing Human Rights by Transforming Access to Justice, NYU Law School, Bernstein Institute Conference on Legal Empowerment (April 2018)
- A Legal Empowerment Approach to Influencing Land Investment, World Bank Group: Land and Poverty Conference (March 2018)
- How to Put the Power of Law in People’s Hands TEDGlobal (August 2017)
- Can Legal Aid Change Power Dynamics? Experiences from India, Sierra Leone, and Elsewhere (October 2017)
- Legal Empowerment & Community Lawyering, Keynote address, PILnet Global Pro Bono Forum (October 2017)
- Global Goals in an Uncertain World, Skoll World Forum (April 2017)
- Rule of Law for All, Oslo Freedom Forum (May 2016)
- Access to Land, the Biggest Challenge for Women’s Empowerment, Trust Conference (2014)
- Economic and Legal Empowerment Through a Robust Rule of Law, World Justice Forum (August 2013)
- Legal Empowerment and Justice for the Poor, Council on Foreign Relations (November 2012)
- Constitutions, Institutions, and the Rule of Law, Stanford Business School (May 2012)
In The Media
- Know Law, Use Law, Shape Law: Vivek Maru on Legal Empowerment (Conversations with Young Justice Leaders Podcast) (March 2026)
- Power of Law in People's Hands: Namati's Community Paralegals produced by Luce Change (The Henry Luce Foundation) (June 2025)
- Democracy in Question Podcast with Shalini Randeria (March 2024)
- Gravity podcast with Alexandra Arneri, (November 2023)
- My Block Counts WYPR podcast with Dr. Sacoby Wilson, (September 2023).
- “The Global Struggle for Environmental Justice,” with host Rose Aguilar and co-guest Robert Bullard, KALW Public Radio in the Bay Area (60 minute program, May 2023)
- Awakin, "A Global Movement for Justice: Making Rules and Systems Work for All” (January 2023)
- “Global Grassroots Legal Empowerment: Interview with Vivek Maru,” Harvard International Review (February 23, 2022)
- “Advancing Justice: An Interview with Vivek Maru,” Leaders Magazine (2022)
- "A Global Movement for Environmental Justice," Stanford Social Innovation Review Podcast (June 28, 2021)
- "The Fight for Environmental Justice," Amanpour & Company - PBS and CNN International (2021)
- “5 Billion People Around the World Lack Basic Access to Justice. These Organizations are Out to Change That,” Ensia (January 9, 2020)
- "Funding access to justice, a 'cross-cutting enabler of the SDGs',” Devex (July 9, 2019)
- "The World Bank must clean up its act,” Nature (March 19, 2019)
- "India’s Barefoot Lawyers,” The New York Times (August 8, 2017)
- “Poor Law: The Rise of Paralegals,” The Economist (October 20, 2016), with Abigail Moy and Stacey Cram
- “When Land Laws are Not Enough, Enter the Barefoot Lawyers,” Place Animations (September 21, 2016)
- “New League of “Barefoot Lawyers” Will Transform Justice in the Next 15 Years,” Forbes (June 15, 2016)
- Leadership in Action, Sirius XM Business Radio (June 2016)
- “It Takes More Than a Law to Ensure Equal Land Rights for Women,” Reuters (April 15, 2016)
- “Vivek Maru and Namati: The Barefoot Lawyers Brigade,” Humanosphere (April 15, 2016)
- “Barefoot Lawyers’ Are Being Deployed to the Front Lines of Justice,” TakePart Media (April 11, 2016)
- “Leveraging the Law Is the New Way to Help the World’s Poor,” TakePart Media (February 19, 2016)
- “Land Rushes and the People Left Behind,” Boston Globe (February 20, 2013)
- Reverence and Transformation: Q&A on Legal Empowerment with Vivek Maru of Namati, Open Society Foundation (February 13, 2012)