Yvonne Ezekiel

Yvonne Ezekiel is the Managing Partner of Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), with over three decades of combined experience in legal practice, business management, and process re-engineering. She leads the Corporate Commercial Practice group, specialising in corporate governance, corporate finance, structured finance, employment and labour law, tax advisory, ESG, and international trade, advising companies across energy, oil and gas, maritime, financial services, fintech, and engineering sectors.

She led the legal advisory on a N25 billion syndicated bridge loan transaction, structuring intercreditor agreements and securitisation processes, provided advisory services to a foreign capital market operator seeking market entry into Nigeria on SEC regulatory and compliance requirements, and rendered a major tax advisory service to a large foreign corporate client on its statutory tax obligations. She also led the advisory on the acquisition of a mid-sized technology company and provided pivotal legal advisory services in connection with the acquisition of a local cement manufacturing company by a foreign company. She is a sought-after expert on Employment Law matters and was invited as an expert contributor on Employment and Labour Law to the B-Ready 2026 World Bank Report.

Yvonne holds an LL.B from Bendel State University (now Ambrose Alli University), a B.L. from the Nigerian Law School, an MBA from the University of Liverpool, a Postgraduate Diploma in Organisational Design and Development from CIPD UK, and is a PRINCE2 Certified Project Management Practitioner. She is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the NBA Section on Business Law, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, and is a founder of the Association of Lawyers in International Trade. She has published on ship management as a commercial tool, the new Securities and Investment Act, voting rights of preference shareholders, and risk management for companies.