📖 Biography

Adeshola Mos-Shogbamimu, born Babington-Ashaye, was born in Hackney, London, in 1975 and raised across London, Nigeria and the United States. An exceptionally academic path saw her complete an LLB with Honours from the University of Buckingham at just 19, before qualifying as both a Solicitor of England & Wales and a New York Attorney, building an early career in corporate and international banking law at institutions including Citibank.

She went on to earn a Master's in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster, an LLM in Commercial and Corporate Law from the London School of Economics, a PhD in Law from Birkbeck, University of London — examining the socio-legal study of corruption in Nigeria — and an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Mos-Shogbamimu transitioned from corporate law into public activism and commentary, becoming one of the organisers of the Women's March London and teaching intersectional feminism to female refugees and asylum seekers through the charity Women for Refugee Women. She founded the Women in Leadership publication and She@LawTalks, the latter dedicated to promoting women and Black, Asian and minority ethnic leadership within the legal profession through work with universities and schools.

A prominent and often outspoken political commentator across mainstream and social media, she is the author of This Is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity (2021), and continues to scrutinise government policy through a gender and diversity inclusion lens while mentoring the next generation of women entering the legal profession.

🕰️ Timeline
1975
Born 13 November in Hackney, London.
1995
Completes an LLB with Honours from the University of Buckingham, aged 19.
1990s–2000s
Qualifies as a Solicitor of England & Wales and New York Attorney; builds a career in corporate and international banking law, including at Citibank.
2000s
Completes an MA in Diplomatic Studies (Westminster) and an LLM in Commercial and Corporate Law (LSE).
2010s
Completes a PhD in Law at Birkbeck, University of London, on corruption in Nigeria; completes an Executive MBA at Cambridge.
2010s
Founds Women in Leadership publication and She@LawTalks; becomes an organiser of Women's March London.
2021
Publishes This Is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity.
Ongoing
Continues as a prominent political commentator, lawyer and mentor across British media and public life.
Achievements
  • Completed her first law degree with Honours at just 19 years old
  • Qualified as both a Solicitor of England & Wales and a New York Attorney
  • Founded She@LawTalks, promoting women and Black, Asian and minority ethnic leadership in the legal profession
  • Organiser of Women's March London and long-standing advocate for refugee and asylum-seeker women's rights
  • Author of This Is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity (2021)
"
I can handle their vitriol of hate.
— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, on public criticism of her activism
🕊️ Legacy
Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has built a rare career bridging elite legal qualification and unflinching public activism, using her platform to press government policy on gender and race with a directness that has made her one of Britain's most recognisable political commentators. Her mentoring work through She@LawTalks continues to widen the pipeline of women and minority ethnic lawyers entering a profession she once navigated largely alone.
💡 Leadership Lessons
  • Academic achievement can be a foundation for activism, not a substitute for it. Mos-Shogbamimu paired an extraordinary academic record with sustained, hands-on public advocacy rather than remaining solely within corporate law.
  • Mentor the pathway you once had to find yourself. She@LawTalks exists specifically to guide women and minority ethnic students toward legal careers with more support than she initially had.
  • Directness is a valid form of public engagement. Her outspoken media presence reflects a deliberate choice to name injustice plainly rather than soften it for comfort.
  • Combine local and global perspective. Her PhD research into corruption in Nigeria alongside her UK-based legal career reflects a sustained engagement with both her heritage and her home country.