Activist Lawyer

Sarah Henry is joined by constitutional scholar Julie C. Suk to talk about her new book, The Shadow Court: Rescuing Democracy from the Supreme Court. Together they discuss the growing power of courts in the US, the challenges facing modern democracy, and Julie's ambitious but pragmatic proposal for reimagining constitutional governance.     Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about power,...

A pioneering figure in the global human rights movement, Mary Lawlor reflects on her remarkable career advocating for human rights defenders across the world. Drawing on decades of experience, including her service as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders, Mary discusses the increasing pressures facing activists today and the importance of international solid...

In this episode of The Activist Lawyer, we speak with Laura Neal, lawyer at Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland, about the deepening ecological crisis at Lough Neagh, where toxic blue-green algal blooms, agricultural pollution and governance failures have placed the UK's largest freshwater lake under unprecedented pressure. We explore how strategic environmental litigation is increasingly being...

Hajrija Čobo joins Brian and Sarah to discuss her journey as an environmental rights defender and campaigner. She shares how concerns about environmental harm and its impact on local communities led her into activism, and reflects on the legal and advocacy efforts she has undertaken to protect environmental rights. The conversation explores the growing recognition of environmental issues as human...

What’s behind the upcoming Law Society of Northern Ireland Special General Meeting?   In this episode of Activist Lawyer, we are joined by Rosemary Connolly, recently retired solicitor with over 30 years in private practice to discuss the factual background to the SGM called for 9th September in Belfast.   Rosemary talks us through the issues that have led to the meeting, the importance of solicit...

In this episode of Accidental Activist, Johanna Nejedlová, co-founder of Konsent, shares the story behind one of Europe's most influential consent education initiatives. Johanna discusses how her work emerged from a desire to challenge harmful attitudes around sex, relationships and consent, and explains why education is essential to preventing violence and promoting healthy relationships. She ref...

Today's episode is a short update from our host, Sarah with some exciting news about our upcoming mini-series. More info coming soon! 

In this episode of Activist Lawyer, Sarah speaks with Zahraa Al-Jameel, a law student, content creator and passionate autism advocate working to challenge exclusion and systemic oppression. Zahraa advocates for a more intersectional approach to autism, highlighting the experiences of marginalised autistic people who are too often overlooked or excluded from mainstream conversations. Her work explo...

Sarah revisits an interview with solicitor Ciaran Moynagh from Phoenix Law in Belfast.  Ciaran talks about how he became a lawyer specialising in human rights, equality, family law and specialist criminal defence.  Listeners might be familiar with some of Ciaran’s high-profile cases including Lee v Asher's Bakery Company (the ‘gay cake’ case) as well as his work around advancing same sex marriage...

When Louise O'Keeffe took her case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, she changed the landscape of accountability in Ireland. But decades later, many of her former classmates and survivors of sexual abuse in Irish schools are still seeking redress.   In this episode, Sarah is joined by Louise O'Keeffe and Professor Conor O'Mahony of University College Cork, to discuss justice, stat...

What happens when citizenship can be taken away? Why are immigration detainees still struggling to access quality legal advice? And has legal aid been 'strangled by reform'? Host Sarah Henry sits down with Dr Ayesha Riaz to discuss her fascinating research on citizenship deprivation, immigration detention and the long decline of legal aid. Drawing on years of practice and academic research, Ayesha...

We revisit the archive of Activist Lawyer episodes with one of the UK's leading feminist lawyers and founder and director of Centre for Women's Justice - Harriet Wistrich.   We were reminded of the importance of Harriet's work after watching the ITV drama 'Believe Me,' which tells the story of the women who fought for justice and to be believed after serious sexual assaults perpetrated by convicte...

Sarah is joined by Sahar Francis, a Palestinian lawyer and human rights defender, to discuss Israel’s recently passed “Prisoners’ Execution Law” and its devastating impact on Palestinian political prisoners. With over 10,000 detainees- including 350 children, Sahar highlights the ongoing torture, extrajudicial killings, and systemic abuses perpetrated by Israel. Drawing on her 27 years defending p...

In today’s episode, Sarah is joined by activist Basira Paigham and legal officer, Ebrahim from ‘Rainbow Afghanistan.’ Learn more about the work of this impactful and vital organisation established to defend the rights, dignity and lives of members of Afghanistan’s LGBTQI+ community.  Rainbow Afghanistan, is a non-profit organisation established to defend the rights, dignity, and lives of members o...

Sarah is joined by Dr Yousef Aljamal on his visit to Ireland as Gaza co-ordinator at the American Friends Service Committee.  This discussion focuses on writing as a form of resistance from the perspective of a Palestinian growing up in Gaza at the hands of Israeli apartheid and oppression.  Dr Aljamal, in a candid conversation, shares how the genocide and decades of aggression impacted his family...

In this episode of The Activist Lawyer, we’re joined by barrister Ifé Thompson, whose ground breaking work is reshaping criminal defence through a racial justice and linguistic lens. Ifé is the host of the Black British English Podcast and is widely recognised by communities and by her peers as a champion for linguistic, cultural and human rights.  From challenging the criminalisation of rap and d...

We are delving into the archive and sharing this 2022 Activist Lawyer episode featuring solicitor Jude Copeland. Jude shares his journey into law, his practice as a legal technology specialist and his outstanding work with the LGBTQ+ community.  We chose to ‘replay’ this episode as it is full of brilliant anecdotes and stories showing how activists, campaigners and fearless people can help shape t...

In this episode, host Sarah speaks with solicitor Jack Murphy of McIvor Farrell Solicitors about his work across a broad range of human rights areas. From representing Raymond McCord Sr in the long-running campaign for an Article 2-compliant public inquiry into his son’s murder, to challenging unlawful housing decisions affecting refugees and social housing tenancy succession, Jack discusses the l...

In this episode of Activist Lawyer, host Sarah Henry speaks with Roi Bachmutsky from Amnesty International’s Business and Human Rights team about corporate criminal liability - how companies become implicated in international crimes, and what it takes to investigate and pursue those cases. From tracing supply chains to preparing criminal complaints, Roi unpacks how corporate accountability operate...

We kick off our first Activist Lawyer Book Club of 2026 – with ‘Through the Gates of Hell – American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay’ by Joshua Colangelo – Bryan.   Listeners to the podcast will remember a recent episode featuring lawyer and author , Joshua Colangelo – Bryan discussing his career in international human rights law, his role with Human Rights First and his latest publication which of co...

Host Sarah Henry interviews Keir Monteith KC from Garden Court Chambers, discussing his pivotal work with the Art Not Evidence campaign. Keir explores the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court, shining a light on the systemic racism that pervades the criminal justice system. He shares the story of Ademola Adedeji, an aspiring law student whose conviction for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily h...

We are delighted to welcome two brilliant lawyers, Marbré Stahly-Butts and Ameca Reali, to the Activist Lawyer podcast. Talking to our host Sarah Henry, the discussion centres on movement lawyering - what it is, what it takes, and how lawyers can be forces for liberation. Marbré and Ameca have recently launched an excellent new book, Lawyering for Liberation: A Toolbox for Movement Lawyers -  an i...

Activist Lawyer Podcast, host Sarah Henry sits down with Diarmuid Brecknell, solicitor at Phoenix Law, to discuss his pivotal role in securing justice for victims of historical abuse and families affected by the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Diarmuid shares his experience of working on inquests, inquiries, and actions against public authorities, and sheds light on his involvement in some of the mo...

Host Sarah Henry is joined by international lawyer Eitan Diamond, who specialises in international humanitarian law and human rights law. As Manager and Senior Legal Expert at the IHL Centre, Eitan leads efforts in the Israeli-Palestinian context.   Discussing the ongoing challenges faced by human rights organisations, he speaks about Israeli-imposed restrictions on humanitarian and human rights g...

Host Sarah Henry meets Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, a renowned human rights lawyer and special counsel at Human Rights First. Joshua shares his journey into law, his role in the fight for justice at Guantanamo Bay, and the inspiration behind his new book Through the Gates of Hell: American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay.   Joshua Colangelo-Bryan is Special Counsel at Human Rights First, where he spearhead...