Fainu'ulelei L. P. Falefatu Alailima-Utu is an
American Samoan lawyer who has served as the
Attorney General of American Samoa since 2021.
Early life and career
Alailima-Utu is the son of former
American Samoa House Speaker Fainu'ulelei S. Utu
Fainu'ulelei S. Utu (August 4, 1924 – March 6, 1974) was an American Samoan politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives (1969–1970) and a member of the Fono legislature as both a member in the House of Representatives ...
.
He attended high school in
California, moving back to American Samoa to complete an associate's degree at
American Samoa Community College
American Samoa Community College (ASCC) is a public land-grant community college in the village of Mapusaga, American Samoa. Only legal residents of American Samoa who have graduated from high school or obtained a General Equivalency Diploma ...
. While attending law school at the
University of California, Los Angeles, Alailima-Utu participated in protests over a
1989 police brutality incident.
From 1990 to 2003, he worked in the Attorney General's office, as assistant attorney general. He was the legal counsel for the
Development Bank of American Samoa from January 2003 to March 2014.
After this period, he was the executive director of American Samoa Legal Aid (ASLA). Under his tenure, ASLA assisted victims of
Cyclone Gita and received a grant to expand services to the
Manuʻa Islands.
Attorney General
Alailima-Utu was nominated as
Attorney General of American Samoa in January 2021, and approved by a unanimous vote by both the
House of Representatives and
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
References
American Samoan Attorneys General
Living people
UCLA School of Law alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
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