Uzma Sherieff Bernstein Institute

Uzma Sherieff is a Legal Fellow with the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative (JLI) at the Bernstein Institute for Human Rights. Uzma was previously a student advocate with JLI as part of the NYU Law Global Justice Clinic in 2023, where she co-developed a Legal Writing Module for jailhouse lawyers. Prior to this, Uzma worked as a lawyer in Australia for almost eight years. She practised in public criminal defense, police and prison accountability, family defense and civil rights law for First Nations peoples at two Aboriginal Legal Services in Australia. She also clerked for a federal judge in Australia and a constitutional judge in South Africa, and worked on coronial inquests and state-led inquiries. Uzma is passionate about racial justice, legal empowerment and ending mass incarceration, and credits much of her learning to the clients and people she has worked with over the years, including through JLI.