Bayo Oyagbola is a seasoned legal practitioner with more than 36 years of legal practice covering corporate and commercial advice, litigation and development of the law. He obtained his university training in the law from University College London (UCL) from where he obtained a first degree (LL.B) in 1982 and a Masters’ degree (LL.M) in 1985. His focus for his LL.M were in
- Advanced Company Law
- Intellectual Property
- Carriage of Goods by Sea
- Marine Insurance
He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar as a Legal Practitioner in July 1983. After one year as a prosecutor for the Nigerian Board of Customs and Excise, he worked with Bentley Edu & Co., the then leading intellectual property firm in Nigeria. His work at Bentley Edu & Co. included Commercial Litigation, Structuring of Corporate Transactions and the Defence of Intellectual Property rights in the courts.
In 1987, he formed the firm of Oyagbola Chambers jointly with Amina Oyagbola. He has managed and guided the firm since 1989.
Bayo has a passion for the development of the law in its various ramifications. For more than a decade, starting from 14th April 1999, he was a member of the Law Review/Revision Committee of the Ogun State of Nigeria. He was a member of the Five-Man team that carried out a thorough and complete revision of the Laws of Ogun State. The resultant Six-Volume Laws of Ogun State was published and came into force in the State in January 2007. Bayo is also a former member of the Ogun State Judicial Service Commission.
Bayo has delivered several legal and academic papers at various forums, both local and international. They include:
- (1) “Duress, Negligence, Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Bad Faith Lending” delivered at a workshop on Banking Litigation and Lender’s Liability organised by the Centre for Business and Investment Studies and held at the Gateway Hotel Otta between 30th July and 1st August 1991.
- (2) “Liability Arising from Fraud, Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Negligent Misrepresentation”, and
- (3) “Duress and Bad Faith Actions”.
Papers 2 and 3 were delivered at a workshop on Banking Litigation and lenders’ liability organised by the Centre for African Law and Development Studies and held at the Gateway Hotel, Otta between 2nd and 4th of April, 1996.
- (4) “Legal Issues Pertaining to Satellite Communications: the Nigerian Scene and the Global Scene” which was delivered in March 1998 at a workshop on Satellite Communication Technology organised and held in Lagos for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
- (5) “Copyright Infringement Cases”, and
- (6) “Protection of Confidential Information”
- Papers 5 and 6 were delivered at a World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) African Sub-regional course on Intellectual Property held in Pretoria, South Africa between 17th and 21st July 2000.
(7) ‘Banks and Tortious Liability’ delivered at the 7th National Seminar on Banking Litigation and Lenders’ liability: The Prosecution, Defence and Avoidance of Complex Litigation in Financial Institutions which was held between 25th and 27th of September 2001.
He has also had articles published, both in the daily papers and in legal journals. Papers published in professional journals include:
- “Anton Piller Orders: A viable procedure in Nigeria?” (published in Volume 1, Number 2 of the Legal Practitioner’s Review).
- “Is a foreign company a juristic person in Nigeria?” (published in Volume 2 Number 1 of the Legal Practitioner’s Review).
“Exchange control and recovery in Nigeria of debts owed to foreign creditors” (published in the November/December 1992 issue of The Africa Petroleum Monitor).
Over the years, Bayo has led Oyagbola Chambers to advice on several high-profile investment and securities transactions.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a Member of the International Bar Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the Professional Excellence Foundation of Nigeria.
His areas of expertise include:
Banking, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Corporate Structuring and Regulations, Real Property Investments, Corporate Ethics, Corporate and Commercial Litigation.
Bayo loves boating (Motorboats) and eagerly keeps up with cutting edge technology.
