Sometimes the most powerful change agents aren’t the most experienced or highly resourced. They’re the ones who were simply too young—or too new—to know what “can’t be done.”
That’s the radical vision behind Justice Defenders, the international charity founded in 2007 by Alexander McLean, and the focus of the latest episode of CNN’s The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, which premiered last Thursday night at the Ford Foundation for Social Justice in New York City.
Talk about influence without authority? They’ve moved mountains.
I had the privilege of witnessing this first hand, both at the premier at the Ford Foundation and working with Alexander along the way.
The documentary tells the extraordinary story of how Justice Defenders began: a young British-Jamaican teen on a missionary trip visiting prisons in East Africa, heartbroken by what he saw—inhumane conditions, unjust sentences, and most inmates had no access to legal representation.
Instead of walking away, even as a teenager he resolved to build a solution, and found his voice.
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McLean was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s experience earning a law degree from the University of London through correspondence (pen and paper) while incarcerated in South Africa.
Following that path, the organization now known as Justice Defenders has built a partnership with the same university, and done what so many thought was impossible: they provide scholarships for both inmates and prison guards to get legal training, side by side, to become paralegals and even lawyers.
Graduates of the program – most while still in prison – serve as legal assistants and advocates for other inmates within their prisons and beyond. Arguably, this group has ZERO authority, but they refuse to let that stop them.
Their small but mighty army has overturned convictions, commuted death sentences, and even changed national legislation in Kenya.
Now, with proven impact in Kenya and Uganda, McLean and his team are working to bring Justice Defenders to the United States, starting in New York. Leaders from the Department of Corrections, universities, and the broader legal community were in attendance and listening—and taking action.
(That’s me with Hamisi Mzari, a former inmate and current Justice Defenders graduate and ambassador; along with Bruce Bryan, who was wrongfully convicted of a crime and spent 30 years in a NY prison before being released and now advocates for the wrongfully accused; and Susan Chun, executive director for CNN’s The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.)
If your organization is facing major change and you need help communicating with clarity, courage, and credibility to persuade and inspire others, I’d love to help. Let’s talk about how to move your mission forward.
From TEDx to the United Nations: My Work with Alexander and the Justice Defenders
I had the honor of being invited to the documentary premiere, not just as a guest—but as a long-time collaborator.
My work with Alexander began over a decade ago when I coached him for his very first TED Talk.
He was also a guest on one of my very first episodes of the Speaking to Influence podcast.
Since then, we’ve worked together to prepare him for speeches for audiences at extremely high stakes venues such as the United Nations and Buckingham Palace.
(Need help getting your message heard by a high-powered audience? Set up a call with me here.)
We even collaborated on a truly extraordinary event: TEDxLuzira, a bona fide TEDx event hosted inside a Kenyan maximum-security prison.
The speakers? A mix of inmates and prison guards—participants in the Justice Defenders program—sharing their personal stories and powerful ideas about societal change. I had the privilege of coaching several of them for the event, never imagining I’d someday meet them face-to-face.
But that’s exactly what happened on Thursday night.
The Full-Circle Moment: Meeting Morris Kaberia
Among the many guests in New York was Morris Kaberia, a Justice Defenders graduate and one of the TEDxLuzira speakers I coached virtually all those years ago.
When I spotted him and introduced myself, he broke into a huge smile and cried out, “Laura!” before giving me a bear hug.
It was a moment I’ll never forget. A full-circle reunion that reminded me why this work matters so deeply—not just the words we craft, but the doors they help open for so many others.
Leadership Against the Odds
Justice Defenders is what transformational leadership –with little to no authority — looks like. Visionary. Bold. Relentless in the face of systems that say, “It’s never been done, because it can’t be done.”
Alexander McLean didn’t wait to be given authority.
He didn’t have institutional power, celebrity status, a huge bank account or a roadmap.
What he had was purpose, perseverance, and commitment—and that was enough to start a movement.
The people in that room Thursday night weren’t just celebrating what has been done. Justice Defenders is already in conversation with major players in the U.S. legal and correctional system, like Dan Martuscello, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (below), exploring how to bring their access-to-justice education model into American prisons.
This Is What Influence Looks Like
Influence doesn’t require a title. It requires vision, grit, communication, and commitment to something bigger than yourself.
These individuals—Justice Defenders graduates, advocates, public officials, and producers—are modeling:
- Purpose-driven leadership, where passion fuels persistence
- Collaborative influence, where people across cultures, industries, and backgrounds unite around shared values
- Systemic change, not just individual success stories
Final Thought: Defying Limiting Beliefs
It’s easy to get paralyzed by the enormity of a problem, to believe that if something hasn’t been done before, it’s probably because it can’t be done.
When I asked Alexander what compelled him to start something most people would’ve dismissed as impossible, crazy or both, he simply smiled and said:
“I think I was just too young to know better.”
There’s a saying: The person who believes it can’t be done should not get in the way of the person doing it.
Justice Defenders is doing it.
If you or your team are stepping into a season of high-stakes change—whether it's launching a bold new initiative, delivering a mission-critical speech, or spearheading systemic reform—I’d love to help you shape your message and lead with confidence and impact. Let’s connect.
