Kenyan scholar named 'Most Influential Black Attorney' in US.

By Chris Wamalwa in USA

One of Kenya's leading scholars based in the USA has been named one of the most influential attorneys in the USA.

Prof. Makau Mutua, a professor at SUNY Buffalo Law School, the state of New York is one of the 100 most influential black attorneys recently selected by On Being a Black Lawyer (OBABL), the blog launched recently by Yolanda Young, a lawyer, author, columnist and TV commentator. She began the blog on the very day a black lawyer – Barack Obama -was elected president of the United States.

"SUNY Buffalo Law School is very pleased to announce that Dean Makau Mutua has been named to this exceptional group. OBABL will publish "The Power 100 Special Edition" on February 15th in honor of Black History Month". A statement published on the University publication said in part.

Prof. Makau Mutua is Dean, SUNY Distinguished Professor, and the Floyd H. & Hilda L. Hurst Faculty Scholar at SUNY Buffalo Law School, the State University of New York. He teaches international human rights, international business transactions, and international law.

Prof. Makau Mutua, a professor at SUNY Buffalo Law School, New York is one of the 100 most influential black attorneys in the USA.

Prof. Mutua has also been a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, the University of Iowa College of Law, the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica, and the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain.

He was educated at the University of Nairobi, the University of Dar-es-Salaam, and at Harvard Law School, where he obtained a Doctorate of Juridical Science in 1987. Professor Mutua was Co-Chair of the 2000 Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). He is currently a Vice President of the ASIL, and was previously on its Executive Council. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

In 2002-03, while on sabbatical in Kenya, Professor Mutua was appointed by the Government of Kenya as Chairman of the Task Force on the Establishment of a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission. The Task Force recommended a truth commission for Kenya. During the same time, Professor Mutua was a delegate to the National Constitutional Conference, the forum that produced a contested draft constitution for Kenya.

Previously, Professor Mutua was the Associate Director at the Harvard Law School Human Rights Program. He was also the Director of the Africa Project at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. He serves as the Chairman of the Kenya Human Rights Commission and sits on the boards of several international organizations and academic journals such as the Leiden Journal of International Law. He is a frequent commentator on politics, human rights, law, and current affairs in the print and electronic media.

OBABL’s editorial team, together with a group of advisers, spent months researching prospective candidates. The selection committee read trade publications, blogs, and critical reviews. A portion of the candidates had appeared on past lists of influential lawyers.

For this group, the committee considered whether the candidate’s influence and relevance had increased since the time he or she was last honored. In addition to naming the 100 most influential black attorneys, the committee also included profiles of ten up and coming black attorneys.

OBABL publisher, Yolanda Young notes that according to the American Bar Association, less than 5% of U.S. attorneys are African American. OBABL seeks to help advance diversity in the legal profession.

On Being a Black Lawyer has been recognized by the American Bar Association, National Black Law Students Association, and National Association of Black Journalists. Founded in 2008 as a news and resource center, the company has grown into a social media firm providing research, career development, and brand marketing opportunities to clients.

Honorees will be toasted at a cocktail reception at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC on February 29, 2012.