Adila Hassim (born 1972) is a South African advocate. She rose to international prominence as a member of the legal team in the South Africa vs. Israel case at the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...

(ICJ) in January 2024.

Early life and education

Hassim was born in 1972. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA) and

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

(LLB) from the University of Natal. She was awarded the Franklin Thomas Fellowship to pursue a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

(LLM) at the Saint Louis University School of Law of Saint Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, graduating in 1999, and the Rev Lewers–Bradlow Foundation Fellowship to become a

Doctor of the Science of Law A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; ), or a Doctor of Science of Law (JSD; ), is a research doctorate in law equivalent to the more commonly awarded Doctor of Philosophy degree. Australia The S.J.D. is offered by the Australian National Univ ...

(JSD) at

Notre Dame Law School Notre Dame Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Notre Dame. Established in 1869, it is the oldest continuously operating Catholic law school in the United States. ND Law is ranked 22nd among the nation's "Top 1 ...

Notre Dame, Indiana Notre Dame is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's Coll ...

, which she completed in 2006.

Career

Hassim was a Constitutional Court law clerk to

Pius Langa Pius Nkonzo Langa Order of the Baobab, SCOB (25 March 1939 – 24 July 2013) was Chief Justice of South Africa, serving on the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Constitutional Court. He was appointed to the bench in 1994 by Nelson Mandela, h ...

and Edwin Cameron, participating in the 1997 Soobramoney v Minister of Health case. Hassim was admitted to the Johannesburg Society of Advocates, South Africa's largest Bar, in 2003. In the 2000s, Hassim worked for the AIDS Law Project. In 2007, she sat on a

Treatment Action Campaign The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is a South African HIV/AIDS activist organisation which was co-founded by the HIV-positive activist Zackie Achmat in 1998. TAC is rooted in the experiences, direct action tactics and anti-apartheid background ...

(TAC) committee alongside the likes of

Andrew Feinstein Andrew Josef Feinstein (born 16 March 1964) is a South African people, South African former politician who currently resides in the United Kingdom. Early life and education Andrew Feinstein was born in Cape Town to Jewish parents Josef Feinstei ...

and Cheryl Gillwald to support

Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge Nozizwe Charlotte Madlala-Routledge (born 29 June 1952) is a South African politician who was South Africa's Deputy Minister of Defence from 1999 to April 2004 and Deputy Minister of Health from April 2004 to August 2007. President Thabo Mbek ...

in the wake of her dismissal as Deputy Minister of Health. Hassim co-edited ''Health & Democracy: A Guide to Human Rights and Health Law and Policy in Post-apartheid South Africa'' (2007) and ''The National Health Act: A Guide'' (2008). She also wrote a number of articles for the '' Mail & Guardian''. In 2010, Hassim helped to found the public-interest organisation Section27, where she would serve as Director of Litigation. She is also a founding member of Corruption Watch. Hassim is currently Senior Counsel at Thulamela Chambers.

Notable cases

Hassim worked on the Limpopo Textbooks Case, which went to the Supreme Court in 2015. She represented Sonke Gender Justice and the Treatment Action Campaign in the 2015

Silicosis Silicosis is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust. It is marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. It is a type of pneumoconiosis. Silicos ...

class action lawsuit against 32 mining companies in court. In 2017, Hassim became Lead Counsel in the Life Esidimeni Arbitration, representing Section27 and the mental healthcare patients who died in the scandal. In January 2024, Hassim appeared in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

as a member of the legal team representing South Africa's proceedings accusing Israel of genocide at the

(ICJ).

Bibliography

* ''Health & Democracy: A Guide to Human Rights and Health Law and Policy in Post-Apartheid South Africa'' (2007), editor * ''The National Health Act: A Guide'' (2008), editor * ''South African Constitutional Law'' (2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassim, Adila Living people 1972 births 21st-century South African women lawyers Advocates Lawyers from Johannesburg Legal writers Notre Dame Law School alumni Saint Louis University School of Law alumni University of Natal alumni