Hawa A. Wehelie

Hawa A. Wehelie is an attorney admitted to the New York State Bar, with a background that pairs American legal training with a close commitment to Somalia’s justice sector. She advises the firm on policy and commercial regulation.

She directs the City Law Clinic at the City University of Mogadishu, a university-based legal-aid clinic she helped build, where law students gain their first clinical experience and clients of limited means receive pro-bono representation on criminal and land matters. Her work there has included advising survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and leading know-your-rights and awareness campaigns.

Before returning to Somalia she served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the Secretary at the United States Department of Commerce in Washington, advising on policy and on the federal information-disclosure statutes, and as a legal consultant to UN-Habitat on land governance and reform. She also advises Somalia’s Ministry of Planning.

She holds a Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law, where she was a senior editor of the Howard Human and Civil Rights Law Review, an MBA from Howard University with a concentration in entrepreneurship and strategic management, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Hofstra University.