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A Conversation with Justice Defenders CEO & Founder Alexander McLean [Part 1]
From Pursuing Justice by Harriet Hendel
May 7, 2026 · 23 min · Episode 240
About this episode
Harriet Hendel interviews Alexander McLean about his work with Justice Defenders and its impact on the justice system in Kenya and Uganda.
Alexander McLean is C.E.O. and founder of Justice Defenders. This organization trains incarcerated people and prison staff side by side as paralegals and lawyers to serve those denied justice in Kenya and Uganda. They have been able to secure a release for 72,000 people, trained 740 paralegals in addition to 67 people who earned a law degree from the University of London while in prison or as prison staff. McLean created this nonprofit in 2007 having graduated from the University of Nottingham as a Barrister that year. Alexander has been honored for his work by being recognized in TIME's 30 Under 30 Changing the World and on "The Power List". He was UK Young Philanthropist of the Year in 2007. Grinnell College awarded him the "Innovator for Social Justice Prize" in 2020. To learn more about Justice Defenders, visit www.justice-defenders.org Alexander's TED Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sTBdU0SIJc The Whole Story - https://youtu.be/NPVLb4SwQU4 60 Minutes - https://drive.google.com/drive/search?dmr=1&ec=wgc-drive-globalnav-goto&q=60%20minutes%20type:video This podcast is proudly sponsored by the Innocence Project of Florida. Visit www.floridainnocence.org for more…
People in this episode
Host: Harriet Hendel
Guest: Alexander McLean
Topics covered
- justice
- incarceration
- legal training
- social justice
- nonprofit work
Keywords
- Justice Defenders
- Alexander McLean
- paralegals
- law degree
- social justice
- incarcerated people
- Kenya
- Uganda
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Justice Defenders, University of London, University of Nottingham, TIME, Grinnell College
Books & works: TED Talk, The Whole Story, 60 Minutes
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