Experience

Advocaat Law Practice

• Nigeria
• Legal Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Partner and Head, Telecommunications, Media and Technology Practice Group

  • Oct 2017 - Present



Etisalat Nigeria

• Nigeria
• Telecommunications
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head, Commercial and Corporate Legal Services

  • Jun 2012 - Jul 2016

  Key Projects• Refinancing of $1.2 billion medium term loan, negotiations and legal documentation• Documentation of $214m Chinese Buyers Credit facility• Information Technology Department Outsourcing negotiations and legal documentation• Over $500m Telecommunications Network Expansion and Managed Services contracts negotiation and legal documentation• Negotiation and documentation of contract for deployment of fiber optic cables of over 2000 kilometers• Legal Resource for the acquisition/lease of spectrum from two telecommunication operators.• Negotiation and legal documentation of the contract for the construction of a Next Generation Data Centre• Negotiation and legal documentation of the 5 years Online Charging System agreements• Liaising with the regulator and negotiating legal documentation for the provision of telecommunications services to under-served communities.• Negotiations and legal documentation of fiber sharing arrangement with a telecommunications operator• Due diligence on proposed submarine cable system collaboration• Legal support on the Sale and Lease Back Project • Development of a comprehensive Contract Manual for the Legal Services Division



MTN Nigeria

• Nigeria
• Telecommunications
• 700 & Above Employee

• Commercial Legal Manager

  • Apr 2008 - May 2012

  • Negotiating, drafting and reviewing various contracts;• Providing proactive legal advice and transactional support to business units within the company;• Monitoring and ensuring prompt registration and adequate protection of company’s intellectual property rights;• Ensuring company’s compliance with all operating licence requirements, regulations and laws applicable to the telecoms industry;• Managing litigation porfolio and interfacing with external solicitors to ensure proper representation of company’s interest in courts;• Proactively managing the company’s risks and maintaining good community relations in areas of company’s operations;• Handling employee related matters including provision of legal advice to the HR Department;• Investigating and responding to complaints from subscribers and generally supporting the Customer relations Department;• Representing the unit on various committees and projects.

• Commercial Legal Advisor

  • Jul 2005 - Mar 2008

  • Negotiating, drafting and reviewing various contracts related to the telecoms industry;• Providing proactive legal advice and transactional support to business units within the company;• Monitoring and ensuring prompt registration and adequate protection of company’s intellectual property;• Ensuring company’s compliance with all operating licence requirements, regulations and laws applicable to the telecoms industry ;• Managing litigation profile and interfacing with external solicitors to ensure proper representation of company’s interest in courts;• Proactively managing the company’s risks and maintaining good community relations in areas of company’s operations;• Handling employee related matters including provision of legal advice to the HR Department;• Investigating and responding to complaints from subscribers and generally supporting the Customer relations Department.



MTN Irancell

• Iran
• Telecommunications
• 700 & Above Employee

• Secondee Commercial Legal Manager

  • Jan 2009 - Jul 2009

  • Sole legal resource for the implementation of WiMAX project;• Review of WiMAX Licence, negotiations with the Government of Iran and drafting of all relevant agreements relating to the WiMAX Project;• Sole legal resource for deployment of Metro Fibre Transmission Project• Negotiation and drafting of Supply and Services Agreement for the Metro Project.• Negotiation and drafting of Care and Managed Services Contracts• Provision of legal support to the different departments within MTN Irancell.• Liaising with MTN Group on legal matters relating to the operations of MTN Irancell.



Officetron Company Limited

• Group Head, Legal Services/Human Resources

  • Jul 2002 - Jun 2005

  • Conducting extensive research on various legal issues and rendering legal advice on regulatory, commercial, operational and corporate governance matters relating to the business of the companies in the Group;• Drafting and vetting of all agreements, contracts, Memoranda of Understanding involving all the companies in the Group;• Rendering legal and company secretarial support on all matters relating to the interests of all the Five (5) companies in the Group and the day to day operations of the Group;• Negotiations for the purchase of landed properties of the property company in the Group; • Responsible for HR matters including the development of Human Resources Policies, practices and procedures; organizational structure; Group HR Strategy; Management of staff Health and Pension Schemes and Conflict Resolution.



The Law Union

• United Kingdom
• Higher Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Associate Counsel

  • Apr 2000 - Jun 2002

  • Commercial, civil and shipping law litigation; represented clients at the various state High Courts, Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in different types of litigation elating to individual and corporate transactional disputes, oil & gas matters, real property actions, banker-customer disputes, protection and enforcement of intellectual property and arrest of ships. • Rendered legal advice to both domestic and international clients on various legal issues; liaised with in-house counsels and legal departments of corporate clients; applying for and obtaining various permits and approvals• Company secretarial matters, • Part of the team that prepared the documentation for the Econet/First Bank loan transaction for the payment of the GSM licence fee • Part of the team that adviced MSI- Celtel Nigeria Limited in the GSM licence auction. • Prepared the Trust Deed and Rules for the pension scheme of a major oil service company. Review and drafting of contracts on behalf of a major oil service Company.



Coram (Legal Practitioners)

• Associate Counsel

  • Jul 1997 - Jan 1999

  • Commercial law litigation; represented clients at the various state High Courts, Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in different types of litigation relating to individual and corporate transactional disputes, oil & gas matters, real property actions, banker-customer disputes, protection and enforcement of intellectual property and arrest of ships. • Company secretarial matters and specialized in commercial and corporate law, Foreign Investments and Insurance law.• Member of the Mobil Nigeria Unlimited oil spill assessment and verification team. • In charge of verification and legalization of documents for the Belgian and Netherlands Embassies. • Rendered several opinions on oil and gas related matters