Bradley attorney Scott Adams served a one-year commitment as a Legal Fellow (a volunteer attorney) with International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights agency that seeks to rescue people victimized by horrendous abuses such as slavery, sexual exploitation, property grabbing and other forms of violent oppression. IJM’s Uganda office primarily deals with property grabbing cases, working to restore land that has been wrongfully taken from widows and orphans, usually through violence or threats of violence.
Adams was stationed in Kampala, Uganda, where he helped IJM’s Uganda office fight property grabbing that victimizes widows and children, often leaving them homeless and unable to support themselves. IJM Uganda believes that up to one third of widows in its project area have either been the victims of property grabbing or been threatened with the loss of their homes through property grabbing-related crimes. These widows are especially vulnerable to their homes being stolen due to a lack of enforcement of the laws that otherwise prohibit property grabbing.
Through his pro bono service, Adams helped IJM Ugandan attorneys partner with state prosecutors to prosecute land grabbers, as well as helped restore victims to their homes. Since Adams could not appear in court, he focused his efforts on writing appellate briefs, advising on the legal aspects of property grabbing cases, and assisting in a comprehensive courthouse organization project designed to enable the local public justice system to begin working to protect the legal rights of property grabbing victims.
