Otome Okolo

Otome Okolo is a Partner in the Firm’s Corporate Commercial Practice Group, focusing on Banking and Finance Law. A specialist in corporate and commercial law, banking, finance and regulatory compliance, she has extensive experience in matters concerning corporate finance, project finance, international trade, employment, tax liability, compliance and regulatory requirements.

She has also advised clients on law enforcement access to user data stored abroad, data protection and cross-border data flows, and the tax liability for foreign online platforms.

Otome has provided strategic legal advice to companies seeking to establish an office in Nigeria, and has represented various clients on project finance and corporate law transactions, including advising the largest internet exchange in the world on licensing requirements in Nigeria and regulatory obligations regarding the hosting of a local carrier-neutral tier 3 data centre, peering and IP transit exchange in Nigeria; acting as part of the team for a business consortium in the purchase of an N2 billion stake in a major mortgage bank; advising one of the biggest international social media companies on applicable Nigerian law and rules for implementing its proposed small business grants programme following the outbreak of COVID-19; and advising an oil and gas company on a multimillion-dollar facility granted by a UK-based bank to finance the operations of an oil and gas subsidiary in Nigeria holding an interest in an OML.

She is a member of the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), and an Executive Committee Member of the Capital Markets Solicitors’ Association (CMSA).

She holds an LLM from Queen Mary University of London, a BL from the Nigerian Law School and an LLB from the University of Benin. She is a co-author of the Nigerian chapter of Getting the Deal Through publications on Corporate Governance and on Telecoms and Media, and was recognised as a Highly Regarded Lawyer in the IFLR 1000 2025 Edition.