Babatunde A. Sodipo is a Partner in AJUMOGOBIA & OKEKE, a leading commercial law firm in Nigeria. He is the head of the Dispute Resolution, Arbitration and ADR Group of the firm. Babatunde has over thirty years post-call experience specialising in the resolution of various commercial disputes by litigation at various levels of the Nigerian court system and by arbitration and mediation. He specialises in product liability, environmental law, employment and labour, intellectual property, shipping and real estate. Babatunde has substantial experience in corporate commercial and compliance advisory on a wide range of matters, including the negotiation and drafting of industry specific agreements. He advises domestic and international clients in the energy, tobacco, aviation, aircraft manufacturing, banking, insurance, beverage, software, construction, and shipping industries.
As part of his product liability practice, Babatunde has extensive knowledge of, and skill sets and experience in, Oil spill litigation and Tobacco litigation. He continues to represent a major International Oil Company and the largest global tobacco company in on-going Oil spill and Tobacco litigation respectively, at various levels of the Nigerian court system. He is also well-versed in domestic and international commercial arbitration, and arbitration-related litigation.
Babatunde was a member of the Review Panel established in 2007 by the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Nigeria, to review the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules. He is a Notary Public for Nigeria, an associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, U.K. and a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and the International Bar Association. Babatunde is a jurisdiction author who contributed the Nigerian chapters of Lexology Getting the Deal Through – Product Liability 2011 – 2021; Getting the Deal Through – Product Recall 2010 – 2012; and Lexology Getting the Deal Through – Shipbuilding 2019 – 2021. These are international annual reports on Product Liability, Product Recall and Shipbuilding in several jurisdictions worldwide. Babatunde is cited in Who’s Who Legal and IFLR 1000.
Babatunde was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in law (LL.B Hons.) from the University of Ife in 1987 and an LL.M degree from the University of Lagos in 1997. In 2018, he attended the 45th Maritime Law Short Course of the Institute of Maritime Law, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
In November 1988, Babatunde joined the law firm of Fani-Kayode & Sowemimo where he practiced for a period of 11 years. He subsequently joined the law firm of AJUMOGOBIA & OKEKE in December 1999 and became a Partner in 2011.