'I was told I was too young’: Halima Ali on breaking barriers in the legal profession
Halima Ali, who is vying for the Nairobi Representative seat in the upcoming LSK elections, during the interview on January 15, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Born in 1992, she pursued her law degree at the University of Nairobi before earning a Master's degree in Energy and Natural Resources Law at Queen Mary University of London, where she studied on a Commonwealth Scholarship.
- Admitted to the bar in 2017, she opened her own law firm a year later, navigating the realities of private practice as a young advocate.
As the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) heads into its 19 February 2026 elections, Halima Ali is positioning herself not just as a candidate for Nairobi representative, but as an advocate for a stronger and more enduring institution.
Validly nominated, Halima enters the race with a résumé that cuts across private practice, corporate governance, and emerging areas of law—experience she believes uniquely positions her to represent a profession in transition.
An advocate of the High Court of Kenya, Halima specialises in energy and natural resources law. But she is quick to frame the Nairobi representative role as broader than professional advocacy alone.
"The mandate is about participating in governance, amplifying the voices of practitioners in council, and ensuring their welfare while at the same time strengthening LSK as an institution," she says.
For Halima, representation is not merely reactive. It is about ensuring the Society has the infrastructure, governance clarity, and institutional memory required to protect the profession over time.
Her legal career has unfolded across two distinct worlds. Born in 1992, she pursued her law degree at the University of Nairobi before earning a Master's degree in Energy and Natural Resources Law at Queen Mary University of London, where she studied on a Commonwealth Scholarship. Admitted to the bar in 2017, she opened her own law firm a year
later, navigating the realities of private practice as a young advocate.
That scholarship later led her to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, where she contributed to mentoring and strategic support for scholars across jurisdictions—an early exposure to institutional systems beyond Kenya's borders.
"I have seen private practice in its raw form, and I have sat in corporate boardrooms," she says. "That dual exposure matters."
One formative experience came early in her career. As a young woman running her own firm, Halima encountered barriers familiar to many early-career advocates.
"I would walk into spaces and be told I was too young," she recalls.
When her firm was dismissed while seeking inclusion on a public institution's legal panel—largely due to perceptions about her age and appearance—Halima turned to the Society itself. She joined LSK committees, raised the issue internally, and found collective solutions through institutional channels.
"That was my first real lesson in advocacy within the profession," she says.
Halima's later transition into the corporate sector exposed her to governance at its most complex. Working closely with boards and senior management, she supported company secretaries, mediated conflicts between boards and chief executives, and defended governance principles under pressure.
"I have been in rooms where leadership struggles could easily derail institutions," she says. "That experience teaches you the value of clear roles, ethics, and restraint."
She currently sits on the board of the Water Sector Trust Fund as its Corporation Secretary, a role that has deepened her understanding of in-house legal practice—an area she says often feels marginalised within the LSK.
"A huge number of advocates work in-house—in banks, state corporations, private entities—and many feel left out," she says. "I bring that perspective."
Undervalued
While Halima acknowledges that defending the rule of law remains a core function of the LSK, she argues that institutional strengthening has been undervalued.
"In highlighting members' issues, we sometimes forget to build the institution itself," she says. "Without strong systems, you cannot secure the profession."
With council terms lasting just two years, she believes short-term thinking has weakened continuity.
"If the focus is only on occupying a seat, we lose sight of the larger objective," she says. "Institution-building must outlive individual terms."
A central pillar of Halima's campaign is preparing the profession for economic and structural shifts. She practises in emerging sectors—energy, natural resources, climate governance, infrastructure, and artificial intelligence—and believes these areas offer sustainable pathways for young lawyers.
She also points to recent court decisions limiting government engagement with private law firms, noting that in an economy where the state is the largest spender, the implications for the profession are profound.
"LSK must manage stakeholder relationships while helping lawyers adapt," she argues.
She believes that widening exposure, particularly for young and mid-bar advocates, is essential to the profession's future.
"LSK should be positioning Kenyan lawyers for consultancy, advisory, and policy work across the continent," she says.
As a young mother, Halima is candid about the constraints many women face in legal practice.
"Some barriers are systemic," she says. "They require honest acknowledgement of how rigid structures exclude women, especially young mothers."
She calls for more inclusive pathways, mentorship, and flexibility, insisting that perfection should not be a prerequisite for participation.
On sexual harassment, she acknowledges that LSK has robust policies but believes a culture of silence and shame still shields perpetrators. She argues that alternative opportunities and networks can reduce vulnerability.
If elected, Halima says she will judge her two-year tenure by the lasting institutional legacy she creates.
"My priority is leaving behind a stronger LSK—well-resourced, well-trained, and able to discharge its mandate long after my term," she says.
