By Danesius Marteh,
Attorney-at-law Joseph Yado Howe successfully earned a Master of Laws with distinction in commercial and corporate law from the Center of Commercial Law at Queen Mary University of London on 7 January.
And commendations have been pouring in for Howe, who became the first Liberian lawyer, to win a case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“We are thrilled to announce and congratulate our vice president for operations, Mr. Joseph Y. Howe, on his remarkable achievement of graduating with a Master of Laws in commercial and corporate law from Queen Mary University of London. Congratulations Yado,” said Paynesville FC.
“Top lawyer, my own lawyer, congratulations!” said Cassell Anthony Kuoh, president and chief executive officer of FC Fassell, who is aspiring to be president of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) at the elective congress in April.
“Congratulations Atty. Howe,” said Emmett Blayee, former president of Sinoe NPA, who is also aspiring to be an LFA executive committee member in April.
“[Mustapha] Raji’s nightmare. See the man, [there is] no fake [degree] paper business here. Come back Yado [and] let’s get the ball rolling brother,” wrote Jubilee FC President James Nimene.
Howe successfully convinced CAS to overturn the relegation of Jubilee to the third division by LFA executive committee.
He had submitted four pleas with three fully granted and one partially accepted in an eight-count arbitral award delivered by Atty. Herve Le Lay of France on 31 October 2025.
CAS ordered the LFA to provisionally reinstate Jubilee, who were in the second division, in the first division for the 2025/2026 season pending the decision by the club licensing appeal board (CLAB).
It asked CLAB to resume jurisdiction and reach a decision on Jubilee’s appeal of 14 April 2025 against the decision issued on 14 April 2025 by the LFA to relegate Jubilee to the third division in a January 2, 2025 letter written by secretary-general Emmett Crayton under clear instruction from President Raji.
Howe wanted the LFA to fully refund the costs of arbitration but Herve shared the cost with 25-percent for Jubilee and 75-percent for the LFA.
Jubilee spent more than US$35,000 because the LFA refused to pay its share of cost with the hope that the case would have been dismissed thinking and believing that Jubilee couldn’t afford the money.
Howe and LFA legal affairs manager Benedict Yarsiah (Cllr.) became the first Liberian lawyers to plead at CAS.
