Expert Urges Institutional Action to Open Leadership Pathways for Women in Law

Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR), has called for institutional action to open leadership pathways for women in the legal profession.

The call was made at the Women in Law Mentoring Programme (WILMP) Regional Convening 2.0 held in Lagos, under the theme ‘From Learning to Leading: Networking, Leadership, and Advocacy for Women in Law’.

The programme supports young women in the legal profession through structured mentoring, networking and leadership development, and brought together mentees, mentors, judges, senior lawyers, academics, policymakers and development partners.

The founder and chairperson of WISCAR, Amina Oyagbola, called on institutions to move from goodwill to concrete action in strengthening women’s pathways to leadership.

“We must not confuse progress at the summit with progress across the entire leadership pipeline,” she said, noting that women’s presence in the highest offices does not by itself guarantee that the path to those offices is open to other qualified women.

She highlighted WISCAR’s three-year Memorandum of Understanding with the NBA Women Forum, and noted encouraging engagements with the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Law School and FIDA Nigeria.

Delivering the keynote address titled ‘Beyond the Bench: Women Redefining Leadership in Law and Governance’, Administrative Judge of the High Court of Lagos (Lagos Judicial Division), Hon. Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, said that “women’s leadership in law and governance is not merely about representation, but about transformation.”

She urged women in the profession to look beyond titles and milestones, stressing that “attaining a position is not the culmination of leadership. It is the beginning of a greater responsibility.”

According to her, the real measure of leadership is whether it has made institutions more open, accountable and effective, and whether it has widened opportunities for others.

WISCAR called on institutional partners to listen, commit and act by taking at least one practical step, with an owner, a timeline and a way of measuring progress.

“Meaningful change does not happen through goodwill alone. It happens when goodwill is translated into decisions, policies, resources and sustained institutional practice,” Oyagbola said.