Attorney Nkouessom is currently the Team Leader of the Access to Justice Component of the USAID Mali Justice Project (MJP) implemented by Checchi and Company Consulting.
Prior to joining MJP, he served as the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) Deputy Country Director for Program in the DRC managing a multimillion portfolio of 8 projects.
He previously served as ABA ROLI Country Director in Mali advising the government on transitional justice issues and working with communities and civil society organizations to establish truth-seeking mechanisms and contribute to reconciliation.
Atty. Nkouessom formerly led the Carter Center’s access to justice program in Liberia where he focused on strengthening traditional leaders’ dispute resolution capacity and promoting good governance through regular trainings and mentoring, as well as providing justice education and legal advisory services to marginalized communities through community-based paralegals. Previously, he worked as a Legal Advisor at the United Nations Mission in Liberia. He holds degrees in law and international relations. He also speaks English, French, and Spanish fluently.
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Dear Mr. Nkouessom,
Greetings from Texas! I hope this note finds you doing well. I am a law clerk at an immigration firm in the U.S., and I was wondering if you could help me with a question. Under Liberian law, how would I find out if a certificate of traditional marriage was filed with the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Also, if a marriage certificate was not filed with the Agency, how is the traditional marriage treated?
Many thanks and kind regards from Texas!
Dillon Norton
Law Clerk
Coane And Associates, PLC
Dear Mr. Dillon, under Liberrian laws all marriage certificates are required to be registered with the Archives Office for retrieval in case of damage or loss. Notwithstanding the Ministry of Internal Affairs also retains a copy of the certificate. Not registering a marriage certificate does not however make it de facto invalid nor does it invalidate the marriage. In fact, not obtaining a traditional marriage certificate altogether does not void the marriage as the certificate is considered as just an additional evidence of the existence of the marriage. Of course obtaining a marriage certificate is very important for other purposes such as applying for a visa or claiming death and other social security related benefits. But the absence of a traditional marriage certificate does not vitiate the marriage itself.
Please note that this only applies to traditional marriages and not to statutory marriages.
Dear Mr. Nkouessom,
I write to you from the University of Michigan Law Clinic. I found your blog very helpful – thank you for posting. I am especially interested in your posts on family law in Liberia. I have found the Liberian Domestic Relations Law — Title 9. Are there any other family law statutes I should be looking at? In particular I am interested in learning if there any sort of mechanism by which children who live with a relative after their parents can no longer care for them automatically become adopted.
Many thanks!
Dear K.M., thanks a lot for your comment.
Title 9, the Liberian Domestic Relations Law (DRL) is the only existing family law statute. All others related matters are dealt with through Supreme Court precedents. Children who live with a relative after their parents can no longer care for them do not automatically become adopted. The adoption process oulined under Chapter 4C of the DRL must be followed for that to happen. Adoption is always judiciallly determined. The law does not require the consent of a parent who has abandoned the child to be adopted. This means that the relative with whom the child is living may file and obtain legal adoption without needing the consent of the biological parents who have stopped caring for the child to be adopted.
I hope this is helpful. Feel free to revert if you need additional clarity or if you have other questions..
Thank you very much. This was very helpful.
Best regards