Celestina L. Owusu-Sanders

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Although attorney Celestina L. Owusu-Sanders is a member of the Health Law Practice Group at Quarles & Brady LLP, she has a passion for civil rights issues.

A native of Ghana, Owusu-Sanders regularly takes asylum cases pro bono and has recently helped refugees from China and Senegal find sanctuary in the United States.

“That really feeds my human rights desire and it’s what brought me to the law,” said Owusu-Sanders, who formerly worked in public health and also did advocacy work in Uganda.

She chose health law because the practice still allows her to work on cases dealing with patient rights and medical abuse and fraud.

“Law is really a second career for me, and although I don’t deal with human rights issues on a day-to-day basis, I still get some of that in my practice,” Owusu-Sanders said.

Q&A

What was your most useful law school course?

Negotiations …. getting to “yes” has been helpful in so many aspects of my law practice

Who is your favorite historical figure?

Nelson Mandela because of his grace under duress and eventual triumph

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To learn to play more sports, for example tennis

What is your motto?

When one door closes another one opens

What is the first concert you went to?

George Michael — Faith Tour, Madison Square Garden NYC, 1988

Where and when are you happiest?

In my kitchen cooking and surrounded by my family

What is your favorite thing to do in Wisconsin?

Bike around Door County with my family

How many countries have you visited? Which ones?

24 — Africa: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa; Eurasia: Great Britain, France, Italy, Holland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Turkey; Latin America: Guatemala, Mexico; Caribbean: St. Marten, Jamaica

What is your greatest fear?

Repression