IBA Outstanding International Woman Lawyer Award

Application details

The Women Lawyers’ Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA), will hold its 9th World Women Lawyers’ Conference, at which it presents this award.

The Women Lawyers’ Committee offers a forum for women members from across the world to discuss topics of global significance to women practitioners. Apart from fostering women lawyers’ business potentials, the Group also aims to provide informal advice and assistance in areas of interest.

The IBA Women Lawyers’ Committee invite you to nominate a female lawyer who you believe is deserving of this prestigious award. The Women Lawyers’ Committee would like to thank LexisNexis for their generous support of the Award.

The application process for the Award is now open for 2024.

• Eloísa Machado de Almeida winner of the 2018 IBA Outstanding International Woman Lawyer​​​​​​​
  ​​​​​​​Professor Eloísa Machado de Almeida received the Award in recognition of her exceptional work as a human rights lawyer and for her contribution to the promotion of women's rights. She is the founder of the Human Rights Advocacy Collective (CADHu), which unites lawyers to act pro bono in strategic landmark human rights litigation. Under this initiative, the first collective habeas corpus was recognised by the Supreme Court, determining the release of more than 5,000 pregnant women or mothers in prison awaiting trial and 2,000 children who were with them. Professor Machado de Almeida aims to ‘transform CADHu into the largest network of human rights lawyers in the country and then internationalise its activities, forming a new and prepared generation of human rights lawyers’.
• Carol Xueref, winner of the 2016 IBA Outstanding International Woman Lawyer
  In the letter nominating Ms Xueref for the award, Linda Hesse, Head of the Paris Capital Markets practice at international law firm Jones Day, wrote: ‘Carol has demonstrated throughout her career what women of intellect and commitment can accomplish, both in our professional endeavours and as agents for change in the legal profession and beyond… Carol consistently recognises her team and colleagues (“putting them in the limelight”) so that as she has advanced others are able to advance as well. Carol has ensured that the members of her team are given equal opportunities and remuneration as well as the time and resources… to achieve a proper work-life balance. This strategic opening of opportunity is a hallmark of a true leader and exactly the kind of woman we should honour with this award.’
• Dr Kankasa-Mabula, winner of the 2014 IBA Outstanding International Woman Lawyer
  Dr Kankasa-Mabula received the Award for educating local law students at the University of Zambia for 18 years before leaving for industry, her being an ardent and consistent gender equality activist and her contribution to the development of the law in Zambia as co-editor of the Zambia Law Reports.
• Chief Olufolake Solanke, winner of the 2012 IBA Outstanding International Woman Lawyer
  Chief Solanke has an impressive record of pro bono and humanitarian work, particularly in protecting the rights of women and children. She was also the first female legal practitioner to be elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the first non-Caucasian to be elected as President of Zonta International, a global organisation of executive women working towards the advancement of the status of women internationally.
• Anne-Marie Hutchinson, winner of the 2010 IBA Outstanding International Woman Lawyer
  ​​​​​​​Anne-Marie was admitted in 1985 and joined the family law firm Dawson Cornwell in January 1998 as head of the children department. She had an outstanding career specialising in international divorce forum and jurisdictional disputes on divorce, with particular expertise in international custody disputes, child abduction, the EU regulation on jurisdiction in family matters and international adoption. She also acted for the victims of forced marriages.