Annah Akhoun-Murat ’22 LL.M.: Build a Sustainable Future
Annah Akhoun-Murat shares why she made the switch to corporate sustainability and environmental law and how her fellow classmates made her feel welcome from day one.
Hometown: La Réunion, France (Réunion Island)
Why Columbia: “I decided to apply in the spring of 2019 as I was looking to transition in a role that would reconcile my personal interest in sustainability, the climate crisis, and my professional career. . . . I also firmly believe that the climate crisis is an intersectional matter, meaning that environmental and racial justice are part and parcel of the structural change needed to adequately address this existential, collective matter of our time.”
Favorite Law School Moment: “Meeting one of my closest friends in the LL.M. [program], Cristina Palma, randomly over Tacos No. 1 at Chelsea Market, thanks to a common friend, Elena Leyva Ruiz.”
Columbia Law Activities: Davis Polk Leadership Initiative Innovation grant recipient; research assistant for Michael Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice; participant in the Columbia Environmental Justice Summit and other environmental law and environmental justice events.
After Columbia: Akhoun-Murat is joining the ESG and Impact practice of Kirkland & Ellis in the New York office.
“I think there is a sense of responsibility . . . that comes with graduating from Columbia Law School at a time like this—reflecting on what we lived for the past two years, what the world was like, what we want it to be, and [then] make that change.”
