Priscilla Schwartz is a Sierra Leonean lawyer, the first woman to serve as Attorney General and Minister of Justice (2018–2020) in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

.President Bio Appoints First Female Attorney-General and Minister of Justice

Early life and education

Schwartz was born Priscilla Fofana. She graduated from

Fourah Bay College Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first western-style university built in Sub-Saharan Africa and, furthermore, the first university-le ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

. She obtained a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

from Kings College, University of London and her

juris doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

Queen Mary, University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London. Today, ...

Career

Politics

On 11 June 2018 Schwartz became the first woman in the history of Sierra Leone to be appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice. She was handpicked by President Julius Maada Bio to replace

Charles Margai Charles Francis Kondo Margai (born 19 August 1945) is a Sierra Leonean politician and constitutional lawyer who served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone in 2018. Margai is a former candidate for the office of Presiden ...

. From 1996 to 2006, she was State Counsel and Special Assistant to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice in Sierra Leone. She advised on energy, telecommunications as well as petroleum and mineral mining. Schwartz played a key role in organizing the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone and Security Council visit.

Academia

Schwartz was a law professor at the University of Leicester from 2007–2012. From 2008 until 2011, she was a senior lecturer at her alma mater

. She also lectured at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London from 2011 until 2013. Before her appointment as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, she was a senior lecturer and the Director of the Energy and Natural Resources Law Programme, at the College of Professional Services, Royal Docks School of Business and Law, University of East London, United Kingdom from 2012 to 2018. Schwartz's research is widely published in international business law and economic development journals.

Law

Schwartz is called to the bar in Sierra Leone. She is a barrister and solicitor at the Sierra Leone Supreme Court. Her specialities are energy law, natural resource law, international investment law, international finance law, international trade law, corporate governance, social responsibility and environmental law. She has advised governments and international companies operating in developing countries.

Selected publications

* ''Energy Resources Financing'' (2018) * ''Powe ring the Right to Development: Sustainable Energy in a Changing Climate'' (2016) * ''Capitalism, International Investment Law and the Development Conundrum'' (2014) * ''Public-Private Partnerships and Government Services in the least Developed Countries'' (2013) * ''Trade and Development Partnerships'' (2010) * ''Sustainable Energy Infrastructure: Law and Policy'' (2009) * ''Sustainable Development and Mining in Sierra Leone'' (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Priscilla Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Queen Mary University of London Attorneys-general of Sierra Leone Fourah Bay College alumni Living people Sierra Leonean academics Sierra Leone People's Party politicians 21st-century Sierra Leonean women politicians 21st-century Sierra Leonean politicians Sierra Leonean women academics Women government ministers of Sierra Leone 1967 births Female justice ministers Academics of the University of Leicester Academics of Queen Mary University of London