The First Female Chairman, An Attorney General of Lagos State

Hairat Aderinsola Balogun, née Alatishe, OON is the first female Attorney General of Lagos State.

She travelled to the United Kingdom aged twelve, to attend secondary school there, before studying for the bar at Lincoln’s Inn. She was called to the English bar, aged 21, on 5 February 1963, and to the Nigerian bar on 13 July 1963. In 1981 she was elected as the first Secretary-General of the Nigerian Bar Association and held the office until 1983.

Hairat Balogun is a Life-Bencher and was the first female Chairman of the Body of Benchers. She was also the first female member of the council of the International Bar Association. She is a Life Member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA). She was made Officer of the Order of Niger for services rendered to the Nigerian legal profession.

In 2011 she published her legal memoirs. In 2012 she became the first female president of the Rotary Club of Lagos and held the presidency until 2013. In 2016 she was recognized with an award in the Nigerian Legal Awards (NLA).

Hairat Aderinsola Balogun remains a beacon of optimism to Nigeria Lawyers both male and female.