{"id":6752,"date":"2024-12-13T16:09:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T16:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=6752"},"modified":"2025-04-14T10:30:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T14:30:55","slug":"volunteering-abroad-wilmu-law-professor-veronica-finkelstein-trains-nigerian-lawyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/13\/volunteering-abroad-wilmu-law-professor-veronica-finkelstein-trains-nigerian-lawyers\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteering Abroad: WilmU Law Professor Veronica Finkelstein Trains Nigerian Lawyers"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6752_62adeb-f1\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p>While working in Nigeria, more than 5,000 miles from home, attorney <strong>Veronica Finkelstein<\/strong> experienced many memorable moments \u2014 including power outages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was inspired by the way lawyers in Nigeria roll with the punches. The electricity goes out, and they don\u2019t even flinch. They just turn the flashlight on, on their phone, and keep going,\u201d says Professor Finkelstein of <a href=\"https:\/\/law.wilmu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wilmington University School of Law<\/a>. \u201cThey face a lot of challenges that lawyers in the United States do not face, and they persevere with a really positive attitude.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>NITA Programming<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A longtime volunteer with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Professor Finkelstein recently visited Nigeria for a five-day workshop designed to \u201cteach advocates realistic and useful trial skills.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI do a lot of public interest programs in the United States, and I have always felt like that is one of the ways that I do the most good and give back to the community,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/law.wilmu.edu\/faculty\/veronica-finkelstein.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Professor Finkelstein<\/a> says. \u201cBut when you go to a place like Nigeria and you teach skills to those lawyers that they can turn around and teach to other lawyers, you really do a tremendous amount of good and have an impact much greater than the impact that you could have elsewhere.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She received a warm welcome in Lagos, describing it as a multicultural, densely populated, industrial city, where a modern building may stand next to a canvas-topped craft market. Lawyers there face heavy caseloads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe judges said that they will hear 20 cases in a day \u2014 every single day, five days a week \u2014 and they still have a tremendous backlog of cases,\u201d says Professor Finkelstein, who joined other international faculty members from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nita.org\/s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NITA<\/a> and the U.S.-based law firm Jones Day to help \u201csupport a system that\u2019s more functional.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNITA\u2019s program with the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender (OPB) is the crown jewel of NITA\u2019s Africa Rule of Law programming,\u201d says NITA representative <strong>Marsi Mangan<\/strong>. \u201cIt has quickly become the model for similar advocacy skills trainings in Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar, with expansion into Ghana and Ethiopia expected next year.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu considers the training program \u201ca significant step forward in his administration&#8217;s ongoing commitment to ensuring access to justice for all Lagosians, particularly the most vulnerable,\u201d according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/story.php?story_fbid=969859278505459&amp;id=100064441879510&amp;mibextid=xfxF2i&amp;rdid=t2HuUqfPxfVYerQd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">news release<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Trial Advocacy Training<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the workshop, the team simulated a discrimination case in the <a href=\"https:\/\/nicn.gov.ng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Industrial Court of Nigeria<\/a>, a specialized court for labor and employment suits. Professor Finkelstein co-authored the case file about an employee fired for having HIV.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn a place with limited resources, with a lot of attorneys who are relatively new who have to defend clients in an incredibly wide array of cases, to see them take a case that I\u2019ve written and bring it to life and find new meaning in it, it is incredibly rewarding,\u201d Professor Finkelstein says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She appreciates the opportunity and her colleagues\u2019 encouragement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWilmU has been incredibly supportive of my NITA teaching and recognizes the value,\u201d Professor Finkelstein says. \u201cEvery time I teach in one of these programs, I come back having learned something new, and I can turn around and impart that wisdom to the Wilmington (University) law students.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For more about the workshop, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Wa5SExUaRF4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>watch<\/em><\/a><em> Official Lagos Television&#8217;s coverage.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id6752_cc3b54-cf{margin-top:1em;}.kb-row-layout-id6752_cc3b54-cf > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:center;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id6752_cc3b54-cf > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:center;}.kb-row-layout-id6752_cc3b54-cf > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1290px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}.kb-row-layout-id6752_cc3b54-cf > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.kb-row-layout-id6752_cc3b54-cf{display:none !important;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id6752_cc3b54-cf > 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.kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6752_4c0251-7f\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image6752_825403-6b .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image6752_825403-6b\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large image-is-svg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/wilmu-cta-logo-sol.svg\" alt=\"WilmU-School-of-law_Stacked_fullcolor\" class=\"kb-img\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column6752_bb08dd-8a\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p style=\"font-size:1rem\"><em>Interested in becoming a lawyer and learning from dedicated professors like Veronica Finkelstein? <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/law.wilmu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Wilmington University School of Law<\/em><\/a><em> provides broad access to affordable legal education.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While working in Nigeria, more than 5,000 miles from home, attorney Veronica Finkelstein experienced many memorable moments \u2014 including power outages.&nbsp; \u201cI was inspired 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