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2019 Leaders in Law Finalists: Nonprofit General Counsel of the Year

YEMI ADEGBONMIRE

Corporate Secretary and General Counsel

The Bail Project, Inc.

Yemi Adegbonmire is an attorney with many talents. This Baltimore native, who is also Nigerian, spent time in Washington, DC working in Public Health before getting her law degree from Wake Forest School of Law. She wanted to help the underserved and worked as a public health analyst in the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Primary Health Care. After graduating from law school and practicing IP and entertainment law for over 12 years, she recently returned to helping the underserved early this year.

Adegbonmire is currently serving as general counsel for The Bail Project, a national nonprofit that covers bail for people in need through a national revolving bail fund. Through their work The Bail Project helps reunite families and restore the presumption of innocence. Bail is returned at the end of the case, so donating to the organization can be recycled and reused to pay bail two to three times per year.

CESELY WESTMORELAND

Registered In-House Counsel

KIPP SoCal Public Schools

Cesely Westmoreland currently serves as registered in-house counsel for KIPP SoCal Public Schools. Prior to joining KIPP, Westmoreland served as senior attorney/chief public defender for the Clark County Public Defender’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada for almost nine years. Westmoreland has years of experience with education law, criminal law, juvenile law, family law, contract law, negotiations, mediation, litigation, and many other areas of law.

Among Westmoreland’s recent accomplishments has been successfully leading the merger of KIPP schools on the West Coast. The merger expanded the presence of KIPP SoCal, in providing public education to inner city youth. Westmoreland holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychlogy, and a Juris Doctor degree from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

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