How I became an American judge – Nigerian-born woman, Abayomi Ajaiyeoba
A Nigerian-born female judge at Kings County Family Court, Brooklyn, New York, Mrs Abayomi Ajaiyeoba, speaks with BIODUN BUSARI on her legal career in the United States
How did you navigate your journey into the legal system in the United States?
I was born in Nigeria. My family came to the US when I was six years old. A lot of my education was here. Initially, I was a social worker. During about 11 months into social work, I was often in court. So, I had an interest in the court system. In terms of background, I have relatives that were attorneys. One of my late uncles, Toriola Oyewo, was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and died over two years ago.
After working as a social worker and having an encounter with the court system, I decided to do some training as a paralegal. As a paralegal in the US, I worked for a civil rights organisation. I also had an opportunity to work as one of the first paralegals for the juvenile rights division of the Legal Aid Society.
Finally, I worked with the city government when I was a paralegal at an agency called the New York City Law Board. After they promoted me to director of enforcement, that’s when I realised I was at a crossroads in my paralegal career. I wanted to decide to go to law school or pursue journalism because I love to write. I decided to go to law school.
My daughter at the time was five years old. I just went ahead and pursued my legal education because I was always someone who would troubleshoot things. After pursuing my legal education, I worked at the New York City Law Department, which was a government entity that represented all the city agencies in New York. I did that for three years. I worked in the administrative law division. After that, I went into private practice at a real estate litigation firm. I was a jack of all trades. I did many different things in law which time wouldn’t permit me to mention.
And then ultimately I went to an agency called the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, where I was an administrative law judge. Then, I was screened by the Democratic Party’s Judicial Screening Committee. I actually sat on that committee where I screened other people, and I was found qualified. So, I was put on that qualified list that gave me a chance to run.
Later, the New York State Governor enacted legislation to expand the number of seats on the court to address the backlog. And so, as a result of that, I went through a whole process with different political leaders. There was a list of 11 people who qualified. That list got whittled down to three, and I was one of the three.
Were there peculiar challenges you faced in achieving these goals?
Well, there will always be challenges. You were in law school for three years. After three years, you have to take a bar examination. New York and California are the two toughest bars in the country. When I think about challenges, which I mostly see as opportunities, I’ve always had a sense of decency with the blend of someone raised in a Nigerian household and with the principles in the US. We hear about intersectionality. I’m a woman; then, I’m a woman of colour. I’m a Nigerian, I’m a mum. I’m a naturalised US citizen, but I have a Nigerian identity because I have my Nigerian passport. There is something negative that’s associated with Nigeria. Notwithstanding, Nigerians are the largest group with the highest number of lawyers, doctors, and engineers. With this, Nigeria has started having a good reputation.
Are there American judicial values that could positively influence Nigeria’s justice system?
In terms of the view from the bench, I believe in this whole notion of organisational justice. And a lot of that stems from the way we interact with individuals. We must treat them with dignity and respect, and give them due process. It’s important to be transparent and fair.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that has always been the case in Nigeria. There are certain matters they will bring to my attention that revolve around human rights issues. Honestly, this got me thinking a little bit. In the US, there’s always two sides to a story, right? And as a jurist, it’s important not to respond to matters based on emotion. The justice system in Nigeria can emulate this.
What are your perspectives on President Donald Trump’s policy of labelling immigrants out of status as illegal?
As a judge, I’m not supposed to get into anything political. However, we have a protocol in place to handle that. Our court officers and judges know the protocol. Definitely, there has been a lot of concern. Another thing is that there’s a lot of misinformation that’s going on out there. But people have to do their due diligence. They should not rely on WhatsApp, TikTok, or social media to get their information. They must speak with attorneys who are handling these matters.
One of the things that I’ve been able to do in family court is a SIJ petition, which is Special Immigration Juvenile status. If there is a child under the age of 21 whose family abandoned or faced a problem in their country, and then they have someone in the US who wants to step in in the place of a guardian to take care of them, they could apply for relief in family court. If the petition is granted, they can now take that to immigration.
Do you have projects in Nigeria for mentorship or other services?
I was looking to start some kind of scholarship programme. But, I’m someone who has always been part of a formal mentorship committee whether in Nigeria or the US. I’m a proud Nigerian and always looking to connect people to resources. And I like the question because I’ve been looking for a way to do something more formal. I’m looking forward to doing something in the near future. Apart from this, there were times we provided food items for people especially during the pandemic.
There is a saying that it’s not always greener on the other side. What do you think?
It’s unfortunate because people go to different countries for many reasons. You can’t take these reasons away from them. What led my family to this country was seeking opportunities even when the Nigerian economy was still great. But, now look at it. The struggle of daily life is still there. There are challenges of unemployment and insecurity. Even people are going to Ghana for opportunities. So, what are the opportunities in Nigeria? About opportunities in the US, Nigerians can connect to resources. There are resources available for everyone who is diligent. People will have resources when they are diligent and connect with the people.
What advice do you have for young Nigerians seeking to practice law in the US?
If you were called to the bar in Nigeria, do not think that you need to come to the US to get another law degree. Many attorneys came from Nigeria. They were barred in Nigeria and they set up their practice in the states. You can have an LLM. Connect the community. Reach out to other Nigerians so that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. And I think people are willing to give advice, but don’t give up, persevere. Get assistance, and help navigate. Make sure that you join different organisations where Nigerian law partners have been involved with. Stay resilient. And don’t believe everything out there without doing your research.
