Dear Western New York Community,

My name is Ifeoluwa Motunrayo Popoola. It is an honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of serving as the 2024 president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York (MBAWNY). Please allow me to take a moment to introduce myself.

A Passion for Law from Nigeria to the U.S.

I was born and raised in Oyo State, Nigeria. I attended Obafemi Awolowo University, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in law in 2012. I then proceeded to the Nigerian law school Kano State for a yearlong intensive law-school program, which resulted in a second bachelor's degree in law. In 2013 I became licensed to practice in Nigeria as a barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. I undertook a successful general practice for nearly three years before relocating to the United States in 2016. I attended Brome Community College in Binghamton, where I earned my certificate in paralegal studies, and I was honored to be on the President’s list twice. I moved to Buffalo with my family in 2017 and quickly fell in love with the Buffalo legal community. I earned my juris doctorate degree from the University at Buffalo in 2019.

I am now an assistant county attorney at the Erie County Department of Law, but I began my legal career in the U.S. as a public defender from 2020 to 2022 with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo. I have represented hundreds of indigent criminal defendants in both misdemeanor and felony cases. I have volunteered my time as an Erie County Bar Association Young Lawyers Committee executive council member from 2021 to the present. It is my passion to represent immigrant families in the Buffalo area in immigration cases; I have been a volunteer pro bono attorney at the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers project since 2023 and a board member of the Erie County Volunteer Lawyers since 2021.

Read my full biography »

Organizations for Minorities Can Change Lives

When I entered the University at Buffalo School of Law about eight years ago, I felt so lost — like jumping into the ocean with no guidance or information on how to navigate the system. Upon joining the Black Law Student Association at the University at Buffalo, I understood firsthand what it means to be in a community of people that looks like you and can directly relate to your struggles.

After law school, I joined the MBAWNY in 2020. I became a board member as a corresponding secretary in 2021 and 2022, and I went on to serve as vice president/president-elect in 2023. This association has changed my life. Over the past years I have deeply enjoyed the camaraderie within the MBAWNY community. Members of the MBAWNY provided the mentorship and guidance I needed to navigate the legal community, and they have helped shaped me into who I am today. This association is very dear to my heart, and I am grateful for every member of the association because of the camaraderie and sense of belonging that we share.

Let’s Continue Lifting as We Climb

I decided to serve as the 2024 president to give back to the association and community that has given me so much when I needed it most. We have a mantra of “lift as you climb” in this association, and I have been a beneficiary of this mantra. While we continue to live by our mantra, it is time to extend our reach in our community so others can benefit from the good work we do. I intend to focus this year on expanding our reach in the areas of representation, identity, diversity, mentorship and professionalism.

For decades, members have been reaching across one generation to the next to ensure the personal and professional development of our lawyers and student members. This year, we will be extending our mentorship reach to undergraduate students in colleges within the Western New York community in a bid to expand our reach to the upcoming generation, so that we can lift as we all climb.

It’s important to focus on our representation in the community by celebrating ourselves. Therefore, the board has planned monthly member spotlights on social media platforms and on our website, which is currently being redeveloped in order to heighten our communication and reach. We want to showcase the great work, achievements and overall excellence of our members. Our goal is to help everyone in Buffalo (and beyond) understand the impact our members make in the community.

Increasing Advocacy, Partnerships, Initiatives

The MBAWNY also looks to lift our broader community this year with a bid to address legal issues affecting minorities, and we aim to advocate for the civil rights of all people. We intend to partner with other organizations to organize community events and provide free legal education addressing the needs of our immediate community.

Further, we plan to continue the third-annual tradition of the Empire State Diversity Career Fair. This enables us to help our minority attorneys secure job opportunities and networking opportunities that can advance careers. Other professional development possibilities, such as continuing legal educational opportunities — along with events to help develop and maintain our members’ skills — are also part of our focuses for the year.

Looking Ahead

I am grateful for the amazing MBAWNY board of directors; please know that together we will be working to achieve all that we have planned for this year.

Having said all of this, the most important people are our MBAWNY members. Thank you to every member for your contributions, talents, ideas, and passion — and thank you for the opportunity to serve you as president. It is an honor and pleasure to lead this outstanding association for the year ahead.

Kind regards,
Ifeoluwa Motunrayo Popoola