Adila Hassim SC (Senior Counsel) is a South African advocate whose work includes constitutional rights, healthcare and public-interest litigation. She co-founded SECTION27, represented families in the Life Esidimeni arbitration and appeared as counsel for South Africa at the International Court of Justice in 2024.
Education and qualifications
Hassim earned her undergraduate degrees at the former University of Natal and completed postgraduate legal studies in the United States. Wits University’s biography records the following qualifications. Source: Wits University, 27 March 2017.
| Qualification | Institution | Completion |
|---|---|---|
| BA and LLB | University of Natal | Years not specified in the cited Wits biography |
| Master of Laws (LLM) | Saint Louis University, United States | 1999 |
| Doctorate in law (JSD) | University of Notre Dame, United States | 2006 |
Wits records that a Franklin Thomas Fellowship supported her LLM, which she completed with distinction. A Rev Lewers–Bradlow Foundation Fellowship supported her doctoral studies. Her dissertation examined the protection of social rights in South Africa, linking her academic work to the field in which she later litigated.
The University of the Western Cape independently lists the Saint Louis LLM and Notre Dame JSD in its institutional profile. Source: UWC’s profile, published 27 August 2026.
Early legal work and SECTION27
UWC’s account of her 2019 David Sanders Lecture traces Hassim’s health-law work to her time as a clerk for Justice Pius Langa during the 1997 Soobramoney v Minister of Health (KwaZulu-Natal) case. She was admitted to the Johannesburg Society of Advocates in 2003, according to UWC’s later profile.
After heading litigation at the AIDS Law Project, Hassim co-founded SECTION27 in 2010 and served as its Director of Litigation until 2017. She also co-founded Corruption Watch.
Her work also includes legal writing. With Mark Heywood and Jonathan Berger, she co-edited Health & Democracy: A Guide to Human Rights and Health Law and Policy in Post-apartheid South Africa, published in 2007. Source: UWC School of Public Health’s lecture biography.
Life Esidimeni arbitration
In 2017, Hassim was lead counsel representing SECTION27 and families of victims in the Life Esidimeni arbitration. The proceedings concerned the deaths of mental healthcare patients following their transfer from established care facilities.
The Life Esidimeni project’s account identifies her as legal counsel and records that arbitrator Dikgang Moseneke found in favour of the families, ordered constitutional damages and required a mental health recovery plan. Source: Life Esidimeni arbitration findings, a project involving SECTION27 and SADAG.
Her role at the International Court of Justice
On 11 January 2024, Hassim presented part of South Africa’s oral argument at the International Court of Justice in proceedings against Israel under the Genocide Convention. Her statement addressed the alleged acts underpinning South Africa’s request for provisional measures. The Department of Justice publishes the statement under her name as counsel and advocate for the Republic of South Africa. Source: her January 2024 statement (PDF).
She also delivered a further statement addressing facts concerning Gaza at the 16 May 2024 hearing. Source: her May 2024 statement (PDF).
Honorary doctorate and Madlanga Commission work
UWC conferred an honorary doctorate on Hassim on 28 August 2026. The university’s report documents the ceremony and her acceptance of the honour. This recognition is separate from the research doctorate she earned at Notre Dame in 2006. Source: UWC’s ceremony report.
In a notice dated 9 September 2026, Notre Dame Law School recognised its JSD alumna’s honorary degree and identified her as an evidence leader for the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into corruption in South Africa’s criminal justice system. Source: Notre Dame Law School.
Age, family and net worth
The institutional sources used here do not establish a verified full date of birth, a personal net-worth figure or a detailed family history. Her income and wealth cannot be determined from the public-interest nature of her legal work.
Correction and review, 1 November 2026: This article corrects the LLM institution, adds her earned doctorate and dated professional milestones, and removes an unsupported birth-year claim, speculative childhood influences and income assumptions.
