Traditionally, Advocates of the High Court of Kenya followed a defined path into predetermined practice areas, predominantly in commercial law or litigation. However, social, cultural, and economic evolutions impact the legal profession because the law is both an instrument and a product of change.

As Noreen Kidunduhu, an energy and extractives lawyer, puts it, “Every facet of life has a legal aspect. You could be an aeronautical specialist; you could do maritime law, energy law, TMT (technology media and telecommunication), or IP. There’s a lot of consultancy; lawyers are in virtually any company you can think of in the world.”

Noreen spoke to the Winning at Law Podcast back in 2022. She concludes that lawyers today have way more to offer beyond the circles of litigation and commercial law.

However, lawyers face a new challenge in this age of diversity: identifying practice areas that marry personal alignment/passion with the demand for legal services in that sector.

Some rely on mentors, some have a clear vision of their preferred practice area, and others fall into it after pupillage. Yet still, for others, it’s all about perfect timing.

Sr. Dr. Trizah Muthoni, the in-house counsel at the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi, is one Advocate who fell into a unique practice area, the church, thanks to a series of opportunities she grasped. Below is an overview of her ten-year post-admission experience to inspire you to believe in your dreams, take steps of faith, and invest in yourself.

Why Practice Law in the Church?

Sr. Trizah Muthoni joined the convent at 19, right after high school, and took her first vows as a sister at 22. She is a sister of the Order of the Little Sisters of St. Francis. 

Given her young age, her congregation gave her five years to adapt to her vocation in religious life while serving the church in that capacity before giving her a chance to venture into a career. For those five years, she worked in various stations across East Africa as part of her vocation as a religious person.

Besides the calling to religious life, Sr. Trizah wanted to be a lawyer even in high school.  On the one hand, she attended a Catholic high school with a formation house, and her interaction with the novices ignited her desire to serve the church as a sister. However, she was also a strong debater and the chairperson of her high school’s debate club.

When the time came for her to enter professional life, she knew she wanted to be a lawyer. However, she faced a significant amount of resistance.

Like the law, the Catholic church builds on precedence. According to Sr. Trizah, the law was still a virgin area for religious persons within the Catholic church; she did not know of any sisters or priests who had ventured into the law as a profession before her. 

Moreover, the negative stereotypes about the legal profession only fueled the resistance. “It is something people tried to suppress in me because they had never seen it before. I was often asked, “How can you be a lawyer and serve the church?”

While it took a lot of self-advocacy for her superiors to let her study law, she finally got the chance. “An opportunity came when the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) decided to train sisters and priests to be lawyers after the institution’s Vice Chancellor identified a legal gap in the church’s institutions. 

While the Catholic church has a firm footing in the health and education sectors (most sisters train professionally in these sectors), it relies heavily on external parties to handle the simplest legal matters. “They asked around if anyone was interested, and I was among the ones who were willing, ready, and qualified to study law.”

Sister Trizah is the first Catholic Sister in Kenya to study the law and become an Advocate of the High Court. She joined the Kenyan Bar in January 2014.

While most lawyers get a first taste of the profession during pupillage, Sister began working at a law firm, Nyiha Mukoma & Advocates Company, in 2011 while still pursuing her LLB. She continued working at the firm during her pupillage and after her admission to the Kenyan bar. 

However, in 2015, the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi decided to recruit a legal officer to establish and run a legal department. Given her familiarity with the archdiocese’s legal needs, stemming from her work experience at Nyiha Mukoma, she aced the interview and got the job. “When they asked me whether I could assist the church in setting up a legal office, I was blank, but I said, “So help me God,” and I took up the challenge. 

The Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi’s legal office turns ten in 2025. Sister oversees the department’s day-to-day activities, except when she takes breaks to pursue her Master’s and Doctorate degrees.

According to Sr. Trizah, the Catholic church handles all manner of litigation. You can read more about the legal skills and competencies she utilizes to fulfill her obligations as the archdiocese’s in-house counsel in our church edition feature titled Pursuing a Legal Career in a Faith-based Institution.

However, she admits that the best part of her job is public empowerment through legal education. The Catholic church has lay movements such as the Catholic Men’s Association (CMA), the Catholic Women’s Association (CWA), Youth Serving Christ (YSC), and Young Catholic Adults (YCA). The movements/ pastoral structures are in place to empower congregants spiritually, morally, socially, and economically.

“I get invited to parishes to talk to the CMA and CWA about subjects like family property and succession processes. From such forums, we also identify lawyers within the congregation, so that the members know where to go in case they face legal matters.”

Her empowerment role was an initiative by the church to address emerging issues among congregants. “People approach priests with all manner of problems beyond spiritual guidance. When a priest establishes recurring legal matters, they call our office, and we advise them, depending on the need.”

Lessons From Sr. Trizah On Her Journey Toward Settling on a Legal Practice Area

Finding an area of practice can be challenging, especially for young lawyers in an evolving legal space. It may feel like standing at a buffet station where you can only serve and eat a handful of dishes from a plethora of dishes you’ve never tried before.

While the experience may vary, below are simple, actionable lessons from Sr. Trizah’s legal journey that you can apply to your decision-making.

• Know Yourself

As humans, we constantly grow and evolve to become higher versions of ourselves. Life is designed for growth and movement, and a lack of growth often leads to dysfunction.

Be this as it may, there are fundamental bits of ourselves that speak to individual identities, gifts, and talents. Understanding these foundational bits of your being helps you narrow down on practice areas that align with who you are.

For example, in Sr. Trizah’s case, knowing she’s a strong debater empowered her to remain adamant that she wanted to become a lawyer despite facing opposition. While you are already a lawyer (Congratulations!), the opposing forces in your decision may be internal conflict, peer/societal pressure, or fear of the unknown. Knowing yourself, your ambitions, and your desires can go a long way in helping you gain clarity on the ideal practice area for you.

• Seize Opportunities When They Arise

Seeking comfort in the familiar is a primal human instinct because familiarity represents safety and security. However, sometimes, a little discomfort could be what you need to realize your potential.

While the church is an age-old institution, it remains underrated as an area of practice in the legal profession. Therefore, seizing the opportunity to establish a legal department in the archdiocese despite seemingly having limited work experience established Sr. Trizah as a pioneer of the law in faith-based institutions.

Moreover, the opportunity came with the chance to serve the larger community through empowerment via legal education. As it turns out, this surprise element became her favorite part of the job. 

You never know where a single step of faith will lead you. Therefore, seize opportunities to learn, serve, and participate in legal committees and forums because you never know who is watching.

• Keep Learning

Never be complacent with your knowledge and skills. Instead, have a porous mind ready to absorb relevant information.

Sr. Trizah recently completed her doctorate degree and admitted that pursuing knowledge improves her mental acuity and well-being. According to Sister, she goes back to school each time she feels her legal knowledge is getting depleted. Building her knowledge base has proven helpful in a practice area with almost no legal precedents.

Sr. Trizah also admits that learning is among the ways she unwinds. “Handling academic problems helps me to shift my mind from the daily work-related challenges and focus on something else for a refreshing change.

• It’s Never Too Late To Start Something New

Sr. Trizah was 27 when she joined law school for her LLB. Most advocates have a year of practice or two under their belts at this age. However, this did not deter her. Therefore, there’s no harm in venturing into an emerging area of practice that piques your interest later in your career.

You can gain more insights from Sr. Trizah’s journey by listening to episode 14 of the Winning at Law Podcast. Find the episode on Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube Music, or whichever audio streaming platform you prefer.