Kimberley Motley: How I defend the rule of law
American lawyer Kimberley Motley is the only Western litigator in Afghanistan's courts; as her practice expands to other countries, she thinks deeply about how to build the capacity of rule of law globally. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
father didn't have the money,
informal justice system.
rural countries like Afghanistan,
best way to satisfy the debt
the neighbor's 21-year-old son.
long-standing tribal customs,
on this nine-month program
people that were locked up,
measures were overused.
open up a private practice,
of Fortune 500 companies
to what their legal rights were,
that are willing to fight
human rights economy,
what needed to happen
get involved in this thing,
that I preside over it.
they would go to prison.
for having me as their lawyer.
I'm standing behind my clients,
ago by my friend David Gill.
thousands of journalists
both foreign and domestic,
in places like Afghanistan,
press does exist in Afghanistan,
then it intimidates others,
more accountable to us
in a different world now,
eight-year-old daughter
we need to change with it,
a certain level of protection
books for years and years,
speak above a whisper.
arrested for what they did to her,
plane ticket and go to Afghanistan,
of law benefits all of us.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kimberley Motley - International litigatorAmerican lawyer Kimberley Motley is the only Western litigator in Afghanistan's courts; as her practice expands to other countries, she thinks deeply about how to build the capacity of rule of law globally.
Why you should listen
Kimberley Motley possesses a rare kind of grit—the kind necessary to hang a shingle in Kabul, represent the under-represented, weather a kaleidoscope of threats, and win the respect of the Afghan legal establishment (and of tribal leaders). At present she practices in the U.S., Afghanistan, Dubai, and the International Criminal Courts; as her practice expands to other countries, she thinks deeply about how to engage the legal community to build the capacity of rule of law globally.
After spending five years as a public defender in her native Milwaukee, Motley headed to Afghanistan to join a legal education program run by the U.S. State Department. She noticed Westerners stranded in Afghan prisons without representation, and started defending them. Today, she’s the only Western litigator in Kabul, and one of the most effective defense attorneys in Afghanistan. Her practice, which reports a 90 percent success rate, often represents non-Afghan defendants as well as pro-bono human rights cases.
Kimberley Motley | Speaker | TED.com