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Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh GCOR (born April 16, 1949 ) is a Sierra Leonean lawyer who was the first female Chief Justice of Sierra Leone from 2008 to 2015.

Early life and background

She was born on April 16, 1949 and grew up in the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown to Muslim parents from the Fula ethnic group, originally from Koinadugu District in the north part of Sierra Leone. Like her parents, Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh is also a Muslim, unlike her great grandmother on the maternal side who was a Methodist Christian hailed from Koya Chiefdom (then Koya Kingdom) in the Port Loko District. She is the older sister of Sierra Leonean diplomat Sulaiman Tejan-Jalloh. Jalloh's mother was the President of the Sierra Leone National Fullah Women’s Association for twenty six years; and her father served in the Freetown City Council.

Education

She attended the Harford Secondary School for Girls in Moyamba, Moyamba District and the St. Edward's Secondary School in Freetown. After her secondary education, she gained admission to Columbia University in New York City, New York, United States where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree (History and Political Science). Following her graduation from Columbia in 1971, she commenced a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree at the College of Law, London, and in 1974 undertook her post finals at the Council of Legal Education in London. In November of the same year, she was called to the Bar of the Honorable Society of Gray's Inn, London.

Career

In 1975, she was appointed as a State Counsel in the Sierra Leone Ministry of Justice. She was later promoted to senior State Counsel and Principal State Council. In 1996 she was appointed as a High Court Judge, where she served until 2004, when she was appointed as a Court of Appeals Judge. She remained in that position until she was appointed as the Supreme Court's Chief Justice in 2008.

She was sworn in as Sierra Leone's Chief Justice on January 25, 2008, succeeding retired Chief Justice Ade Renner Thomas. She was the first woman to hold the Chief Justice position in Sierra Leone's history.

She proceeded on leave to retirement on 6 February 2015, with Valesius Thomas as acting Chief Justice, until finally being replaced by Abdulai Hamid Charm on 25 January 2016.

Honors

• Sierra Leone: Grand Commander of the Order of the Rokel (2008)

See also

• First women lawyers around the world

References

1. ^ Sylvia Olayinka Blyden. "Sierra Leone Chief Justice is not yet Past 65 years : Opposition should take Claims to Supreme Court or Shut Up". Archived from the original on 2016-03-07.
2. ^ "In Sierra Leone, President Swears In Chief Justice Today". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
3. "Umu Hawa Tejan Jalloh is the new Chief Justice of Sierra Leone". Awareness Times. Archived from the original on 2016-04-11.
4. "All Works Of Life (A.W.O.L)'S Citation For Hon. Justice Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh Personality For Year 2008 In The Justice & Legal Sector in Sierra Leone". Archived from the original on 2016-03-13.
5. "Sierra Leone: Hon. Justice Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh is Awol's Personality of the Year 2008 in the Justice And Legal Sector".
6. "OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT PRESS RELEASE - 23RD JANUARY 2015". Archived from the original on 2015-07-02.
7. State House Communication Unit. "CHIEF JUSTICE, 2 SUPREME COURT JUDGES TAKE OATH OF OFFICE". Archived from the original on 2016-01-24.

• "NEWS : BREAKING NEWS Umu Hawa Tejan Jalloh is the new Chief Justice of Sierra Leone". Awareness Times. Archived from the original on 2016-04-11.

• 1949 births
• Alumni of the University of London
• Chief justices of Sierra Leone
• Columbia Law School alumni
• Living people
• Njala University alumni
• People from Freetown
• Sierra Leonean Fula people
• Sierra Leonean Muslims
• Women chief justices
• First women chief justices