Our Team

Franklin Wadjie, Esq. is a Liberian Attorney-at-Law, legal innovator, and justice-sector reform specialist with over ten years of professional experience advancing access to justice, human rights, and institutional reform across West and Central Africa. He serves as the Executive Director of the Liberia Institute for Legal Innovation (LILI), where he leads the organization’s vision to leverage law, technology, and locally driven solutions to strengthen justice delivery in Liberia. Franklin brings a rare combination of deep legal expertise, donor-funded program leadership, and forward-looking legal-tech innovation. He has held senior leadership and advisory roles with leading national institutions and international organizations, including the Government of Liberia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), The Carter Center, and regional legal-innovation firms operating across multiple African jurisdictions. His work has consistently focused on strengthening justice systems in fragile and post-conflict contexts, with particular emphasis on community-level justice, survivor-centered approaches, and institutional accountability. As a former Deputy Chief of Party and Senior Justice Support & Human Rights Adviser on a USAID-funded rule of law program, Franklin provided strategic oversight for nationwide justice interventions, managed multidisciplinary teams exceeding 50 professionals, and worked closely with Ministries of Justice, Supreme Courts, National Human Rights Institutions, and Bar Associations. Earlier in his career, he led access-to-justice programming in some of Liberia’s most remote counties, supporting hundreds of communities through legal empowerment initiatives and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Franklin is bilingual in English and French and professionally trained in both Common Law and Civil Law systems, enabling him to operate effectively across diverse legal traditions. He holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Solidarity, Governance, and International Relations, alongside advanced training in project management, conflict analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and anti-corruption in fragile states. Beyond traditional legal practice, Franklin is deeply engaged in legal innovation and the ethical application of artificial intelligence in law. Through LILI, he is spearheading initiatives that integrate digital tools, AI-powered legal assistance, and simplified legal education to expand access to justice for ordinary Liberians, legal professionals, and institutions alike. He is also the author of several essays and policy-oriented publications examining law, governance, innovation, and post-conflict societies in Africa. Franklin is a licensed member of the Liberia National Bar Association and remains committed to building a justice system that is accessible, responsive, and fit for the realities of a modern, digital Liberia.

Lury Taiwo Nkouessom, Esq. is an accomplished Attorney-at-Law, governance specialist, and strategic partnerships leader with over 18 years of experience advancing access to justice, civic space protection, and rule-of-law reform across West and Central Africa. He serves as Director of Partnerships and Strategy at Liberia Institute for Legal Innovation (LILI), where he leads the organization’s external engagement, donor relations, and long-term growth strategy. Lury brings deep technical expertise in Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT), FATF processes, and non-profit sector regulation, with a particular focus on safeguarding civil society in fragile and high-risk environments. He has advised governments, international financial institutions, and development partners on governance diagnostics, anti-corruption reforms, and regulatory frameworks that balance financial integrity with the protection of civic space. Most recently, he completed a comprehensive governance diagnostic assessment for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Niger, covering AML/CFT systems, rule of law institutions, and the regulatory environment for civil society organizations. Throughout his career, Lury has held senior leadership roles on large-scale, donor-funded justice and human rights programs, including serving as Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party, and Country Director on multi-million-dollar USAID initiatives in Mali, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His work has contributed to landmark legal and policy reforms, including new penal and criminal procedure codes, strengthened corporate accountability frameworks, and national legal aid systems. He has also pioneered technology-enabled justice solutions, such as mobile access-to-justice applications and call centers that expanded legal services to underserved rural populations. As Director of Partnerships and Strategy at LILI, Lury is responsible for building and managing strategic alliances with donors, multilateral institutions, governments, and civil society networks, while guiding the Institute’s positioning at the intersection of law, technology, and institutional reform. His leadership ensures that LILI’s programs are not only innovative, but also financially sustainable, policy-relevant, and regionally connected. Lury is a licensed member of the Liberian Bar Association, a certified legal translator (French–English), and a recognized judicial expert before Malian courts. He is fluent in French and English, with working proficiency in Spanish, and brings extensive regional experience and credibility across Francophone and Anglophone Africa.