Faced with the opportunity to design a new human rights clinic at Fordham University School of Law in 2007, Chi Mgbako decided to bypass large, well-known advocacy groups such as Amnesty International. Instead, she opted to form working partnerships with small, grass-roots organizations in the United States and around the world. “I think a lot of people have been left out of the human rights discussion,” said Mgbako, 32, a 2005 Harvard Law School graduate. “We need people from all different walks of life to view themselves as human rights leaders.”
That message has resonated with the Fordham students who have cycled through the Walter Leitner International Human Rights Clinic, as became apparent at a recent fifth anniversary party for the clinic. Many of the clinic alumni now work in human rights, and those who have chosen corporate law careers still show a strong pro bono commitment, Mgbako said.
