To move from dreams to accomplishments, one thing is requisite: grit. Growing up, Adaeze Mgbeahuru had always known what she wanted to be: a lawyer. But to move from dreams to reality, she had to put in the work, show up, and keep embracing opportunities and challenges.
After getting admitted to Abia State University to study law, her passion to create change and build peaceful environments led her into several leadership positions. She served as a student representative executive, vice president of the faculty of law, and student clinician in her final year, helping inmates receive legal aid.
During this time, Adaeze realized that becoming a lawyer was not just another childhood dream set to be fulfilled; rather, it was an opportunity to contribute to the curbing of jungle justice, one of the significant issues that plagued many Nigerian communities. These extrajudicial killings, often done by angry mobs, are prevalent in indigent communities where it is costly and time-consuming to seek litigation or where people have no faith in the legal system. Jungle justice is not just a menace; it also infringes on an individual’s right to a fair hearing.
Burdened with this reality, Adaeze’s legal journey evolved from just the fulfillment of a dream to a mission to improve accessibility to justice and reduce cases of jungle justice in underserved Nigerian communities. She began researching litigation models and the accessibility of justice; her study culminated not only in a phenomenal capstone project titled “The Bar, the Bench, and the Administration of Justice in Nigeria,” but also in her discovery of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which would shape the course of her career.
To Adaeze, ADR was a beacon of hope for the millions of people who could not go through litigation due to its high cost. She saw ADR as an opportunity for the indigent to resolve disputes and get justice more easily, and so she threw herself into studying to be the best in the field and to bring innovation into it as well.
After becoming a lawyer in 2012, Adaeze went on to get the requisite training in alternative dispute resolution and was inducted into the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators of Nigeria (ICMC). In July 2015, she was appointed as a Senior Magistrate and Senior Dispute Resolution Officer of the Abia State judiciary. While in office, she resolved more than 100 disputes as a mediator and arbitrator. Beyond this, Adaeze has trained with reputable national and international institutions, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In 2023, Adaeze took a massive career leap by acquiring a Master of Laws in International Arbitration and Business Law at American University, Washington College of Law. Her rich career experience put her in a position to be awarded the “Global Talent Scholarship.” During her Master of Laws studies, she pursued a study abroad program in Geneva, Switzerland, where she visited the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization. Within the week she spent in each organization, she worked with dispute diplomats from different countries and keenly studied how the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center and the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Understanding Centers operated. This gave her a unique perspective on institutional ADR. She went on to graduate in the top 10% of her class in December 2023. Upon graduation, she was also awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for her excellent achievement in the study of Legal Drafting: International Contracts.
In a bid to share her expertise with colleagues and the world, Adaeze writes and contributes to several papers and journals, including the Global Arbitration Review, Arbitration Brief, and Alternatives. She also contributed to a White Paper titled “The future of Environmental Peacebuilding: Nurturing an Ecosystem for Peace”. This White Paper provides a detailed examination of the global landscape, challenges, and opportunities in four sections. It outlines the global context, addresses challenges, identifies opportunities, and presents a comprehensive agenda for the future. This paper inspires action and collaboration toward building a more sustainable and peaceful world.
Adaeze’s journey is a testament to the power of dreams and grit in making dreams come true. While deeply inspiring so far, it is only just unraveling, and there are no limits. Today, she is a member of the American Bar Association and is pursuing a vibrant career in the United States as a Contract and Compliance Manager/Human Resources Coordinator at USP Holdings, where she helps her company resolve employee conflicts and ensure compliance with labor and employment laws. She continues to contribute to papers and other scholarships in ADR, while also mentoring and serving others.
