Ghanaian lawyer wins 2022 IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

Currently a lecturer at the UPSA Law School, Yorm becomes the first female Ghanaian and second African lawyer to have won this award.

Is allowance instantly strangers applauded

A Ghanaian lawyer, Ms. Yorm Ama Abledu has been adjudged the 2022 International Bar Association outstanding young lawyer.

Yorm, currently a lecturer at the UPSA Law School, becomes the first female Ghanaian and second African lawyer to have won this award.

In her short speech after receiving the award, the 2022 IBA Oustanding Young Lawyer awardee described this as a dream come true and indicated that it will go a long way to inspire young lawyers all over the world.

"It is a privilege to be honored as this year’s award winner for the IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer award. History has been made, as I am the second African, and importantly, the first Ghanaian female lawyer, to win this prestigious award.

I consider this my greatest achievement so far as a legal academic and lawyer and this victory I must say, is a dream come true. I know that receiving this award will positively impact young lawyers all over the world and encourage them to do more,” she noted.

Annual IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

This is an award presented by the IBA Young Lawyers' Committee annually to a young lawyer who has shown not only excellence in their work and achievements in their career to date, but also a commitment to professional and ethical standards as well as a commitment to the larger community.

The award, created in partnership with the IBA and LexisNexis, is in recognition of William Reece Smith Jr. A former IBA President, William Reece Smith Jr, who passed away in 2013, distinguished himself as one the finest and most respected legal experts. 

In a career spanning more than 50 years, he demonstrated leadership in the legal profession as an accomplished lawyer, an extensively published legal scholar, and lecturer, a mentor, and an outstanding community servant.

About the 2022 Award Winner

Yorm is a dynamic and self-motivated Legal Academic, bilingual transactions lawyer, and Harvard Certified Negotiator.
• She possesses over 5years of experience in Dispute Resolution, Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Law.
• Yorm has a demonstrated history of championing compliance in Oil and Gas companies to reduce risk and losses.
• Yorm is a critical thinker with a high-performance rate in court proceedings. 
• She is passionate about knowledge transfer and research into the effect of the administration of justice on the economy. 
- she’s passionate about diversity and the inclusion of women in the energy sector. 

Core Competencies
• Technical skills: Negotiation, Business Analysis, Litigation, Legal Research, Contract Negotiation, Compliance and Risk management, Corporate Governance, and Arbitration 
• Industry skills: Energy (oil & gas, power), infrastructure and transportation, financial services and consumer goods 
• Technology-based skills: Microsoft Office Suite – (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Languages: English (Fluent), French (Fluent), Ewe (Fluent).

Other Winners of the Award

The 2021 IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award was presented at the IBA Global Showcase week during the SPPI Awards Ceremony on Thursday 28 October to Michael Polak, Barrister at London’s Church Court Chambers and Director of Justice Abroad, for his commitment to defending human rights across the globe through his professional practice and personal endeavors.

In 2020, Daye Gang was the winner of the Annual IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

2019: Elif Goksen was the winner of the Annual IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

Oliver den Dauw was the winner of the 2018 Annual IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

In 2016, Remy Choo was the winner of the Annual IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

Federica D'Alessandra was the winner of the 2015 Annual IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

Maria Belen Espineira won the 2014 edition of the award.