Dr. Henok Gabisa, Esq., is the Founder and Managing Partner of Gabisa Law Firm. An Oromo American attorney, scholar, and public intellectual, he brings international experience spanning the United States, Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe. His work in legal practice, teaching, research, and human rights advocacy informs his approach to representing clients facing complex legal challenges.

Dr. Gabisa holds a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, as well as a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) from St. Thomas University College of Law. His academic training and professional experience provide a strong foundation for understanding the relationships among law, society, and government and for delivering thoughtful counsel and effective representation.

Alongside his legal practice, Dr. Gabisa serves as a Visiting Professor at Keene State College within the University System of New Hampshire, teaching in its graduate program in atrocity prevention. Before founding Gabisa Law Firm, he served for more than five years as a Professor of Practice at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Virginia, where he taught experiential courses on transnational criminal tribunals and anti-corruption law. He also led a course in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense’s legal defense counsel team addressing high-profile terrorism and national security cases.

Dr. Gabisa has presented at international conferences and institutions on law, justice, and development, including events at the World Bank and the International Legislative Reform Group. He has also presented research at the University of Oxford, Columbia University, New York Law School, the London School of Economics, and SOAS University of London. In 2016, he served as a guest lecturer at the University of Tirana Law School in Albania, where he addressed developments in international criminal law and policy, with particular emphasis on the Balkans.

His commitment to client advocacy is grounded in extensive work with international human rights organizations. Through that work, he has coordinated litigation and advocacy efforts involving the United Nations Special Procedures and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. In 2016, he received a Volunteer Award from a Minnesota-based human rights organization, alongside attorneys from Stinson Leonard Street, in recognition of his contributions to international civil rights litigation before the African Commission in The Gambia.

Dr. Gabisa is frequently sought by international media for analysis of legal and political developments affecting Africa and its diaspora. He has been quoted in The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times and has appeared on BBC, France 24, Voice of America, Al Jazeera English, and TRT World.

His scholarship and commentary address the rule of law, judicial reform, international investment law, human rights, and historical injustice. His work has appeared in U.S. and European university-based law journals, and he has contributed opinion pieces and analysis to publications including The Guardian, JURIST, Justice Info Net, Addis Standard, The Jewish Press, and International Forum.

At Gabisa Law Firm, Dr. Gabisa draws on this breadth of experience to provide attentive, strategic, and vigorous representation. He approaches each matter with careful preparation, clear communication, and a commitment to protecting his clients’ rights and advancing their goals.