Jen is a human rights lawyer and activist who is committed to making the law more equal, for everyone. She is the Founding Director of Lawmanity, which aims to tackle inequalities in the law by working with people-led movements to secure positive change. Jen is a legal expert on immigration and asylum, violence against women and girls, children’s rights, and the rights of survivors of torture and trafficking.
Jen was previously the Co-Founding Director of JustRight Scotland, a human rights charity which has advocated for, and won strategic challenges, using the law to make Scotland a more equal place. JRS has targeted structural barriers to achieving justice, and aimed to shine a light on the root causes of inequality and discrimination, for example: challenging barriers to accessing education for migrant young people, advocating for legal system reform to better protect women survivors of sexual violence and highlighting how immigration status conditions like no recourse to public funds (NRPF) can trigger and amplify migrant destitution in times of crisis, for example, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jen is also a lecturer in law with the Open University and believes in making legal education open and accessible to all. She is qualified to practice law in Scotland, England, and Wales, and New York State. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and a J.D. in Law from Georgetown University Law Center.
People-led movements for change inspire me – in particular, people like my clients who have survived systemic discrimination, violence, and harm and who not only trusted me with the hardest things but also placed their faith in the idea that a fair and just solution is achievable through the law. They sometimes waived their anonymity so that others could put a face to injustice. They carried this burden for others willingly and sometimes at significant cost to themselves. My clients inspire me every day – they have made me who I am, and have shown us what defiance looks like, and also, dignity, humility and forgiveness.Jen Ang