Emmanuel Nwatu is a doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa, where his research focuses on decolonization of mental health law in the global south.
His work calls for legislative and policy reform to dismantle or moderate colonial influences and to blend indigenous knowledge with contemporary mental healthcare approaches which will help to uphold the right to mental healthcare. His work is duly supervised by Professor Emmanuelle Bernheim who directs the Canada Research Chair in Mental Health and Access to Justice. Emmanuel obtained his bachelor’s degree (LL. B) from the University of Nigeria and afterwards his master’s degree (LLM) from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
He worked as an attorney with his expertise in commercial law, contract law, property law, corporate, and health law. With years of experience managing high-volume client caseloads, he has successfully served as legal counsel for leading commercial banks in Nigeria and represented high-profile clients in contentious legal matters. Emmanuel’s proficiency extends to serving on advisory boards and committees in areas such as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and corporate restructuring and governance.
Prior to starting his doctoral program, Emmanuel worked at the Ministry of Justice United Kingdom. Presently, Emmanuel works under Professor Emmanuelle Bernheim as a research assistant on a project focused on the coercive psychiatric practices (CPP) impacting Black and Indigenous communities in Ontario and Quebec. This research project aims to bring awareness to the systemic inequalities and human rights violations that disproportionately affect these marginalized groups within the psychiatric system.