MARYAMA FARAH

Maryama is a law student with Beamish Law.

Maryama has 15 years of experience working with legal nonprofits in East Africa as an advocate for affirming the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities to make decisions about their land and natural resources. She focused on helping Indigenous people and local communities develop communal land tenure regimes, access and benefit sharing guidelines, and policy recommendations to support future partnerships with multinational and government proponents involved in mining, infrastructure and energy projects. Maryama enjoys negotiating between multinational companies, government bodies and Indigenous communities to achieve strong and successful projects. Her work was aimed at strengthening language in laws and policy to ensure adherence to free, prior, and informed consent in accordance with United Nations standards, and a just energy transition as Africa moves towards its development goals. 

Education

Maryama recently obtained an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School. She also holds an LLB in common law, an LLB in Sharia, and a MSc in Public Policy. 

Maryama is a Chevening alumna (2016/2017).

Memberships and Associations

Maryama is a member of the Ontario Bar association and is the current Student Member of the Aboriginal Law Section’s Executive Committee at the Ontario Bar Association (2025-2026)

Awards and Publications

Maryama is the 2025 recipient of the Michael MacNaughton Student Writing Award for Insolvency Law for her paper “Climate Change and Insolvency: an Undeniable Intersection” published by the Ontario Bar Association Insolvency Bar.

Maryama has also written A Quiet Transformation in Project Approvals and Beyond Section 87: A Practitioner's Guide to First Nations Tax Authority in Ontario, both published by the Ontario Bar Association, Aboriginal Law Section.

Personal

Maryama practices Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and loves getting on the mats for a solid physical outlet. She also loves reading and can often be found in a park or a cafe with a book in hand. Maryama is currently writing her first full length novel.