Dr Priscilla Schwartz was yesterday appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice by President Maada Bio, following the sensational and stunning dismissal of Lawyer Charles Margai .
HERE IS THE PROFILE OF THE NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL
Dr Priscilla Schwartz has recently joined the Faculty of Law as a lecturer. Priscilla is the LLM Module convenor of Law and Organisation of the World Trading System (LW7170) and Contemporary Legal Problems of World Trade (LW7015).
She also teaches undergraduate Contract Law and Law of Tort.
Dr Schwartz holds degrees from the University of Sierra Leone, Fourah Bay College, (BA, LLB(Hons)) and the University of London, King’s College and Queen Mary College (LLM and PhD) respectively. She is an expert in Public International Law and is also a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone.
Prior to her joining the staff at Leicester in 2007, Priscilla taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Queen Mary, University of London, where she also designed and developed courses for LLM and MA by research programmes. Priscilla also worked as State Counsel to the government of Sierra Leone between 1996-2001, where she served as Personal Assistant to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice. She represented the government on several domestic and international assignments and was instrumental in the setting up of the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, including the negotiation and drafting of its Statute and Agreements. She also initiated and coordinated implementation of projects for the development of the rule of law.
Dr Schwartz has keen research interests in international law and policy in areas of development, environment and economic issues and how these especially affect developing countries. Her most recent book is Sustainable Development and Mining in Sierra Leone (2006) Her current research project is entitled International Institutions, International Corporations & Third World Natural Resources: An Uneven Environmental Alliance?
OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY
Date: 12th June, 2018.
MEDIA RELEASE
President Bio Appoints First Female Attorney-General and Minister of Justice
In fulfilment of his continued commitment to women empowerment, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has, on Monday 11th June 2018, appointed the first female Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Priscilla Schwartz (Nѐe Fofana). Dr. Priscilla Schwartz is also the only female lawyer with a Doctor of Law degree.
Dr Priscilla Schwartz (Nѐe Fofana) has over 20 years of invaluable experience as a lawyer, adept in public sector matters, and over 12 years of academic practice across diverse fields of law, which together reflect a career of distinguished professionalism demonstrated at the international and national spheres.
Dr Schwartz served as State Counsel and Special Assistant to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, at the Law Officers’ Department, Sierra Leone and subsequently assigned to the Vice President (1996 – 2006). Dr Schwartz was key in setting up the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, including co-ordinating the Security Council visit, negotiating and drafting of the statutes and agreements, and their implementation.
Immediately prior to her appointment as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Schwartz worked as Senior Lecturer and the Director of the Energy and Natural Resources Law (Master of Laws (LLM) Programme, at the College of Professional Services, Royal Docks School of Business and Law, United Kingdom (2012-2018). She has also lectured at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom (2007-2012); Queen Mary, University of London, United Kingdom (2008-2011); School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, United Kingdom (2011-2013).
Dr Schwartz has made distinctive contributions to the advancement of legal knowledge through authorship of high quality and widely cited refereed publications, where she offers critical perspectives on the role of law and policy in growth oriented development especially affecting Africa. Notable examples of her publications include: Energy Resources Financing (2018); Capitalism, International Investment Law and the Development Conundrum (2014); Public Private Partnerships and Government Services in Least Developed Countries (2013); Trade and Development Partnerships (2010); Sustainable Energy Infrastructure: Law and Policy (2009) and Sustainable Development and Mining in Sierra Leone (2006).
She has also applied subject expertise in ‘Sustainability Law’ and developed e-learning courses on the Right to Development (RtD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The courses cater for representatives from Governments, the UN system, NGOs, civil society, and academia, to enhance knowledge on the implementation of the SDGs. She is the Regional Project Representative for Europe to the UNOHCHR/RtD and SDGs meetings in Geneva.
She has developed several targeted innovative graduate curricula, including in Energy (LLM), and Oil and Gas (MSc), which focus on resources exploitation in Africa and the Middle East. Designed to attract minorities and build capacity in the energy sector, the programme has in just over three years, successfully produced graduates from twenty African countries, including five Sierra Leoneans.
Dr Schwartz has earned international and domestic recognition in her field of expertise evidenced by regular invitations to participate in collaborative research projects, organise and speak at international conferences and other media outlets (e.g. the “BREXIT and UK Trade with Africa”, BBC Radio London, 2016). She sits on editorial boards and peer reviews submissions for legal monographs and text books.
She has also demonstrated academic leadership through founding and coordinating a vast international network of legal scholars to attract public and private funding to enhance legal knowledge on economic issues in Africa – she is the Co-founder and was Chair of the African International Economic Law Network (2009-2015), hosted at the Wits University, Mandela Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Teaching excellence and mentoring skills earned her positive peer and student reviews including the “Law Society Lecturer of the Year Award 2012” (University of Leicester); and the Students Union “My Academic” nominations, in 2014 and 2016 (University of East London).
Dr Priscilla Schwartz has managed programmes and projects, including for Masters (LLM), doctoral studies (PhD), accreditation bids, research networks etc; in roles as Senior Lecturer, Programme Leader, Director, Co-ordinator and Chair, severally. She has supervised over 150 people, including students, academics, support staff, research communities and partners.
The appointment of Dr Priscilla Schwartz has been commended by majority of Sierra Leoneans praising President Bio for appointing the first woman Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in the history of Sierra Leone. President Bio has also further demonstrated through the appointment of Dr Priscilla Schwartz that he is not only committed to women empowerment but more importantly to ensuring that competent women are empowered to lead the change and transformation the New Direction offers.
Dr Priscilla Schwartz holds a Doctor of Laws (LLD) from Queen Mary, University of London; Master of Laws (LLM) from Kings College, University of London; Bachelor of Laws (LLB,Hons) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. Dr Priscilla Schwartz is Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone
