Power of law to drive social change: Funke Adeoye wins the IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

Receiving this year’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award from the IBA Young Lawyers' Committee reaffirms that the world is watching and that ethical, innovative, and people-centred lawyering matters, says Oluwafunke (Funke) Adeoye.

“This recognition strengthens my commitment to contributing to a legal profession that truly serves people and societies,” says Adeoye, who in 2018 created Hope Behind Bars, a female-led social impact organisation addressing inequalities in Nigeria’s criminal justice system. “It represents every young lawyer who believes that, despite the state of our world, the law remains a critical tool for transformation.”

Each year the IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award is presented 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”. It is free to enter, open to all lawyers globally whether or not they are members of the IBA, and is supported by LexisNexis.

At the 2025 IBA Annual Conference, held in Toronto, Canada earlier this month, Adeoye received the award from Dr Babatunde Ajibade, Chair of the IBA’s Section on Public and Professional Interest (SPPI) and Ian McDougall, President of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, during the SPPI Awards Breakfast.

Imprisoned Egyptian lawyer Hoda Abdel-Moneim received the 2025 IBA Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Legal Practitioner to Human Rights in recognition of her vital work in the areas of women’s rights, children’s rights, and the campaign against enforced disappearance. Singapore corporate lawyer Arfat Selvam, who has 50 years in legal practice, received the 2025 IBA Pro Bono Award for “her extraordinary dedication to pro bono service and access to justice”, including 17 years of continuous leadership in the Law Society of Singapore’s pro bono initiatives.

The judges of the 2025 IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award praised Funke Adeoye for her work as a human rights lawyer, social innovator, and with Hope Behind Bars.

“Under her leadership, the organisation has provided legal aid to over 7,000 incarcerated individuals, developed technology tools to match detainees with pro bono lawyers, and implemented reintegration programs such as ‘Made in Corrections’,” noted the IBA award judges. “Funke’s tireless advocacy has led to systemic reforms and global recognition... Her work exemplifies the power of law to drive social change and uplift marginalised communities.”

After beginning her legal career under the mentorship of Olumide Sofowora SAN, Adeoye established Hope Behind Bars Africa with a mission to address injustices that lead to imprisonment of the poor and vulnerable, working alongside state actors and communities to design sustainable solutions to close the justice gap. Her organisation has since provided more that 3.5 million hours of pro bono legal service.

“As someone with lived experience of what happens when systems of justice and the rule of law fail, this award carries a deeper meaning for me,” said Adeoye, whose father was detained for a few weeks when she was a child, for a crime he didn’t commit. “It underscores the urgency of building legal institutions that are fair and accessible, not only locally but also globally, so that all communities, particularly those marginalised or unheard, can rely on the promise of justice.”

Adeoye told attendees that she was deeply grateful to everyone who has shaped her journey, and that she hoped this recognition would inspire more young lawyers and more people around the world to lead with courage and compassion as we collectively work towards a more just, inclusive, and rights-respecting global society.

The IBA’s annual Outstanding Young Lawyer Award was established in 2014 by the IBA and LexisNexis in honour of former IBA President William Reece Smith Jr, who passed away in 2013. During his career of more than 50 years, Smith demonstrated leadership as an accomplished lawyer, legal scholar and lecturer, mentor and an outstanding community servant, exemplifying a commitment to advancing many charitable and civic causes, most notably in his support for legal services to the poor.

Past winners include Yorm Ama Abledu in 2022, who was then a Senior International Attorney at Centurion Law Group and Lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. Abledu is now a Legal & Policy Advisor at the Office of the President of Ghana, working at the intersection of law, diplomacy, and governance to shape strategic outcomes across Africa’s energy, extractives, and blue economy sectors.