Vance Center Welcomes New Human Rights & Access to Justice Staff Attorney
Yasmine Palmer joined the Vance Center in November 2025 as Staff Attorney, Africa Initiatives, Human Rights and Access to Justice program.
Yasmine Palmer joined the Vance Center in November 2025 as Staff Attorney, Africa Initiatives, Human Rights and Access to Justice Program. She works on programmatic activities and projects across all four of the Vance Center’s practice areas, with a focus on rule of law and human rights issues in Africa.
Prior to joining the Vance Center, Yasmine worked as a freelance international legal consultant for Dr. Olufemi Elias, Judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice. She provided research and editorial support on the treatment of the immunity of international organizations by African national courts and contributed to an evaluation of an international organization’s internal justice system.
Yasmine previously served as a Research Assistant at the Human Rights Law Centre at Queen Mary University of London and as an Associate at Venable LLP in Washington, D.C. She also interned with the Office of the Prosecutor at the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (MICT) in The Hague, where she assisted with prosecutorial efforts in cases involving genocide and crimes against humanity.
Yasmine holds an LL.M. in Human Rights Law (First Class Honors) from Queen Mary University of London, which she attended as the 2023-2024 Drapers’ Scholar and where she was awarded the Sir Roy Goode Prize for the highest performance across all London LL.M. programs. She previously earned a JD with a concentration in International Law from William & Mary Law School, where she received the Award for Excellence in International Law, and a BA in International Relations from William & Mary.
Yasmine is admitted to practice in Washington, D.C. She is fluent in Krio and is actively expanding her proficiency in French.