Mitchell Aghatise

Mitchell Aghatise is a Managing Counsel and Team Lead in the firm’s Government Business Practice and co-lead of its Arbitration Team. His practice focuses on domestic and international arbitration, complex commercial disputes, debt restructuring, and cross-border financial transactions, combining dispute resolution expertise with strategic commercial advisory.

Mitchell has acted in high-value arbitrations under the LCIA, UNCITRAL, and ad hoc arbitration rules across the energy, aviation, infrastructure, and financial sectors. His experience includes advising on investment treaty disputes involving the Netherlands–Nigeria Bilateral Investment Treaty, representing clients in a US$20 million LCIA arbitration, and handling disputes arising from natural gas sale and purchase agreements, including take-or-pay obligations and other complex contractual issues.

He has also led significant aviation and infrastructure-related mandates, including proceedings to set aside fraudulent arbitral awards and resist enforcement actions against aircraft assets. Beyond arbitration, Mitchell regularly advises on cross-border debt exposures, debt restructuring transactions, enforcement strategy, and multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes, including negotiations involving debt obligations exceeding US$400 million.

His practice is distinguished by a strong combination of advocacy, commercial awareness, and transaction management, enabling clients to navigate sophisticated legal and financial challenges across multiple jurisdictions.

Mitchell holds an LL.M from the London School of Economics (LSE), a B.L from the Nigerian Law School, and an LL.B from the University of Leicester. He has also authored publications on governance, constitutional issues, and arbitration in Nigeria.