Ep 116: Shifting the Paradigm: Lawyer Courtney Teasley on Proactive Advocacy and Empowering Marginalised Communities

In this episode,  criminal defence attorney, business coach, and visionary educator Courtney Teasley, Esq. joins host Sarah Henry to discuss her revolutionary approach to justice. As the founder of emeffen™ and creator of the MFN Framework for Proactive Advocacy, Courtney is changing the way we fight systemic injustice. She shares how her work empowers disproportionately affected, marginalized minorities (D.A.M.M.) with the legal knowledge and strategies to prevent convictions before they even reach the courtroom. From grassroots campaigns to innovative legal education, Courtney is reshaping the criminal justice landscape and providing communities with the tools to proactively resist its most harmful traps.   Courtney Teasley, Esq. Criminal Defense Attorney | Advocacy Strategist | Founder of emeffen™ Courtney Teasley is a nationally recognized criminal defense attorney, business coach, and visionary educator shifting the paradigm on how we fight systemic injustice. As the founder of emeffen™ and creator of the MFN Framework for Proactive Advocacy, Courtney leads a movement to empower disproportionately affected, marginalized minorities (D.A.M.M.) with the legal knowledge and strategy to prevent convictions—before the courtroom ever comes into view. Her impact spans grassroots campaigns, justice-focused curriculum development, and legal education for both community members and lawyers. Through her Easy Way to Learn Your Rights book series, school-based criminal justice literacy programs, and D.A.M.M. Advocate and Legal Warrior trainings, Courtney equips everyday people, educators, and defense attorneys to proactively resist the criminal justice system’s most insidious traps. Whether speaking to students, churches, or national audiences, she delivers bold, accessible frameworks that challenge the status quo and offer real, community-rooted alternatives. Her work has not only influenced elections but has also helped reunite families separated by state violence and launched legal innovations that are reshaping justice across the country. Links to Courtney’s work: https://emeffen.com YouTube: @blacklawgirl https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_NMLkUJhmlU221ERBSAP7g Book Series: The Easy Way to Learn Your Rights https://emeffen.myshopify.com/products/book-bundle

In this episode, Sarah speaks with Roman Shortall, a solicitor and investigative journalist, about his unique career at the crossroads of law and media. Roman shares examples of where his legal background and journalistic approach have combined to secure impactful outcomes. This timely discussion also addresses the recent detention of activists and humanitarians by Israeli forces in international waters - a situation that has drawn criticism over the inaction of the international community. The conversation also explores High Court proceedings concerning the use of Irish airspace by military flights transporting arms to Israel.   Roman Shortall is a practising solicitor and co-founder of independent Irish news platform The Ditch. He won Newcomer of the Year at the Law Society of Ireland Justice Media Awards 2023 for his work exposing wrongdoing at Ireland's state planning body. For the past year, he has collaborated with investigative news outlets across the globe to uncover the flow of weapons to Israel.    To follow Roman’s work please see links below: https://www.ontheditch.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wereontheditch/?hl=en

In this episode, human rights expert and senior policy advisor Brian Dooley joins Sarah to share his experience of working in conflict zones and supporting human rights defenders as they work under extremely challenging circumstances.  This episode explores the intersection of activism and policy while offering insights into working in the human rights sector more generally. As Senior Advisor, Brian supports Human Rights First’s work with human rights activists in hostile environments. Prior to serving as Senior Advisor, Brian directed Human Rights First’s engagement with the U.S. government and other partners to end threats and obstacles to human rights defenders. From 2020 to 2023, he served as Senior Advisor to the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. Prior to joining Human Rights First, Brian spent twenty years working for U.S., Irish, and international NGOs. He led Amnesty International’s work on partnering with national NGOs in the global South. Brian has also worked as Head of Media for Amnesty International in London and in Dublin and as Director of Communications for Public Citizen in Washington, D.C. He is the author of several books about civil rights and U.S. politics. He had early experience on Capitol Hill, serving as a legislative researcher for Senator Edward Kennedy in the mid-1980s when he contributed to what ultimately became the 1986 Anti-Apartheid Act. In 1981 and 1982, Brian lived and worked as an English teacher and community organizer in a black township in South Africa, which was prohibited under apartheid’s racial segregation laws. Brian earned a PhD in the transnational history of rights from the University of East Anglia, an MPhil in Government and Politics from The Open University in London, and a B.A. with honours in Political Science from the University of East Anglia.

We kick start a new season of Activist Lawyer with dual-qualified solicitor Miglena Ilieva.  Miglena is founder of ILEX Law Group – a law firm specialising in UK and Irish immigration law.  Miglena shares what motivated her to build upon her career as an immigration lawyer practicing in multiple jurisdictions before setting up her own practice providing services across the UK and Ireland.  Miglena touches on some important cases flagging challenging areas of immigration law impacting her clients.  If you ever contemplated working in immigration law, listen in for solid advice and insights from an experienced immigration lawyer.   Miglena Ilieva - Founding Partner of ILEX Law Group, a law firm specialising in UK and Irish immigration law Miglena Ilieva is a dual-qualified solicitor in Ireland and in England and Wales with over 15 years of experience in immigration law. Her practice covers nationality, asylum, human rights, personal and corporate immigration. She has worked in leading markets including London, New York and Dublin and advises on both UK and Irish immigration matters.   Originally from Bulgaria, Miglena moved to the UK as a teenager. Her personal experience informs her practical, client-focused approach. She has handled a wide range of cases, including high-profile and complex matters, and has undertaken extensive pro bono work throughout her career. Miglena is motivated by helping clients succeed against systemic barriers in an area of law that is politically sensitive, fast-moving and often adversarial. Miglena has lived and worked across four continents. She is Co-Chair of the International Women’s Rights Committee at the New York Women’s Bar Association and previously co-chaired the Professional Support Lawyers Group at ILPA. Under her leadership, the PSL team she managed was shortlisted for a LexisNexis Award in 2019. Miglena also provides training on  Immigration Advice Authority (previously OISC) exams with Free Movement - a prominent UK immigration publication   She founded ILEX Law Group, a law firm specialising in UK and Irish immigration law in January 2025. 

Sarah speaks with solicitor Aine Rice, who works on the Legacy Litigation and Historical Institutional Abuse Team at KRW Law, about Stormont’s proposed inquiry and redress scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby Homes. With growing concerns over the scheme being ‘unfit for purpose,’ Aine shares insights from her work supporting survivors and challenging systemic failings.   Aine Rice graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a degree in Law in 2020. In 2021, she joined KRW Law as a paralegal, before commencing a training contract with the firm in September 2022. She qualified as a solicitor in 2024 and joined the firm’s Legacy Litigation and Historical Institutional Abuse Team. In this role, Aine has been involved in civil actions against religious organisations and state bodies in relation to historical abuse. She also advised the creators of the television series Blue Lights on a storyline involving a trainee solicitor working on a legacy case.   For more on Aine’s work follow: https://krw-law.ie/

A short reminder of the Activist Lawyer Book Club with registration details is discussed in today’s episode.  The next Book Club Meeting features ‘Just Mercy’ by Bryan Stevenson. Tune in to find out more!   Next Activist Lawyer Book Club 4th September 6.30pm (GMT) Register: [email protected]

Activist Lawyer welcomes Kenneth Roth, former long-serving Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, for a compelling conversation about his career at the forefront of the global human rights movement. Drawing on his new book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, Kenneth shares insights into confronting authoritarian regimes, defending the ‘rule of law’ in the Trump era, protecting academic freedom, and evaluating the role of international institutions today. He also shares valuable advice for those aspiring to a career in international human rights. This is a timely and thought-provoking episode with one of the world’s most respected human rights advocates- not to be missed!

In this inspiring episode, host Sarah Henry speaks with Lucy Barnes,  a Pupil Barrister at East Anglian Chambers.  Lucy is also Co-Founder and CEO of Lawyers Who Care, the UK's first organisation to facilitate mentoring, community and legal opportunities for care-experienced aspiring lawyers.  Lucy shares the story behind the movement she started advocating for meaningful change within the legal profession. From her personal journey to her recent recognition as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion of the Year at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards, this conversation highlights the power of empathy, action, and what it truly means to be a lawyer who cares.    Lucy Barnes is a Pupil Barrister at East Anglian Chambers and Co-Founder and CEO of Lawyers Who Care, the UK's first organisation to facilitate mentoring, community and legal opportunities for care-experienced aspiring lawyers. Lucy is proudly care-experienced herself and an advocate for social mobility. In 2024, Lucy was recognised as one of the #100 faces of the Universities UK 100 Faces campaign, highlighting those who were the first in their family to go to university. She is also a TEDx speaker and a Major Scholar of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple. Lucy appeared on BBC 4 Women's Hour in December 2023 and has also been featured in The Times and Counsel magazine. In March 2025, Lucy won Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion of the Year at the Women and Diversity in Law Awards.   Lucy passed the Scottish Law Society ‘Trauma-Informed Law’ accreditation course in 2023 and is passionate about making legal practices in England and Wales trauma-informed. As part of this aim, Lucy co-designed and facilitated the UK's first 'Care Aware' and 'Trauma-Informed training' course for Lawyers Who Care as part of mandatory training for its mentorship scheme. Lucy also wrote the first case for inclusion of care-experienced people in the legal sector in her June 2024 Bar Council article 'Raising the Bar: care-experienced people belong here.'

In this special episode of the Activist Lawyer Podcast, we explore a topic that’s incredibly important, yet still not properly understood – the state of mental health in the legal profession.  Host Sarah Henry speaks with Activist Lawyer co-founder Jonathan McKeown who, as a solicitor and owner of multiple businesses, shares his journey and personal insights into his own mental health struggles throughout his career.  Sarah and Jonathan discuss issues around ‘burn out’ within the profession, barriers to seeking help and the importance of striving for work-life balance in the hope that employers and managers can contribute to a more inclusive and safer workplace for all practitioners.   It’s a conversation that we think needs to be heard and we are interested in feedback and thoughts from our listeners on this pertinent topic!

In this compelling episode, host Sarah Henry speaks with the acclaimed and inspirational Dr S Chelvan – a multi-award-winning Activist Lawyer, Head of Immigration and Public Law at 33 Bedford Row Chambers, and Adjunct Professor at Southampton Law School. Dr Chelvan shares his personal and professional journey into law, offering insights into refugee and human rights cases centred on sexual or gender identity and expression. This episode is a deep dive into the work of a true Activist Lawyer – someone whose advocacy not only transforms individual lives but also shapes national and international legal landscapes. Not to be missed! Multi-award winning queer, person of colour, first generation Jaffna Tamil immigrant, living with disability, and self-identified Activist Lawyer Dr S Chelvan, Head of Immigration and Public Law at 33 Bedford Row Chambers, and Adjunct Professor at Southampton Law School,  is a globally recognised legal expert on refugee and human rights claims based on sexual or gender identity, and expression. Having practised in the field of Queer Refugee law since 2001, he has spearheaded strategic litigation in cases in the UK, up to and including the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights. Chelvan is specifically renowned to adopt a symbiotic approach to spearhead litigation, academic research, and policy development in refugee and migration law.  The past six months have included the judgment of the Strasbourg Court in MI v Switzerland, an Honorary Doctorate by the Open University, and profiled as the Times Lawyer of the Week. He adheres to, “being the mouthpiece for those who know the words, but have no voice” knowing as an activist lawyer, you will be driven by seeking justice for others, not yourself. For more about Chelvan and for links to cases discussed in this episode, please see https://www.33bedfordrow.co.uk/people/chelvan-s#content/introduction