Practice Areas

Environmental Law

Our environmental litigation practice is designed to help companies maintain their competitive edge while complying with environmental laws. We are well versed in the environmental litigation area: approximately half of the Firm’s attorneys are environmental litigators. We work with clients to identity the ultimate objective at the commencement of the case. We develop a strategy to achieve the objective speedily and efficiently. We re-examine this strategy as events unfold. Hands-on rather than knee-jerk litigation techniques are employed to minimize cost and to direct the litigation towards successful conclusion. We litigate in all areas of environmental law.

Insurance Law

We have extensive experience in the areas of insurance law, insurance coverage litigation and coverage counseling, and insurance regulation. Our attorneys have litigated a variety of insurance coverage matters, including matters involving: Property damage, business interruption and other direct business; Third party claims under commercial general liability, errors and omissions/professional liability, employment practices liability and directors and officers policies; Disability, life, stop loss, long term care and sports disability claims; Unfair claims handling, extra contractual and bad faith. We have also counseled clients on important insurance issues, including duty to defend, reservation of rights, risk management programs and strategies; transfer of risk through insurance and other contractual provisions; mergers and acquisitions; and formation of insurance captives.

Domestic & International Commercial Arbitration & Alterantive Dispute Resolution

One of our Lawyers obtained a Certification in Domestic and international Arbitration from Tulane Law School. Our Lawyers are well versed in all aspects of Nigerian arbitration and mediation law as well as the United States Federal Arbitration Act, the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, and the Inter- American Convention on International Commercial Arbitration, We have lawyers who are admitted to practice law in New York and in The United Kingdom and can easily represent your interest because they possess the knowledge base that is needed to handle arbitrations.

Oil and Gas Law

The oil and gas practice at M.O Awoyemi & Co. covers the full spectrum of legal services for major integrated oil and gas companies, independent oil and gas producers, developers and investors in oil and gas reserves and infrastructure, and lenders and other financing sources for the oil and gas industry. We can represent clients in joint bidding arrangements, join venture and operating agreement negotiations, unitizations, farm outs and participation arrangements, the negotiation and drafting of lifting, processing and marketing agreements, service agreements, strategic alliance agreements, and agreements relating to the ownership and operation of drilling rigs, tankers and other offshore infrastructure, and disputes regarding letters of intent, operating agreements and other contractual arrangements.

Real Estate Development and Wills and Succession Law

M.O Awoyemi & Co. is one of the leading Real Estate Development Law firms in Nigeria. We have represented leading developers and banks in multimillion dollar real estate development transactions. We also represent high networth individuals and families in the area of inheritance and probate law.

Banking & Finance Law

M.O Awoyemi & Co. has one of the oldest and most respected Banking and Finance practices in Nigeria. We have been representing major financial institutions for over 25 years. We provide broad representation to clients and their customers in the financial services industry. We frequently structure, negotiate, document, render opinions, and close complex and routine financial transactions, including loans, leasing, public finance and real estate deals. We also provide advice and guidance regarding compliance with complicated federal laws and regulation that govern the delivery of financial services and products. We serve the following industries; Banks, Thrifts, Credit Unions, Mortgage Companies, Mortgage Brokers, Structured Finance Providers, Asset Based Lenders, Specialty Lenders and Investors, Insurance Companies, Financial Industry Services Providers, and Commercial Consumers of Financial Services.

Franchise Law

We represent clients in all franchise and distribution transactions: business formation, preparation of offering circulars, franchise agreements and related documents, franchise registration, state and federal franchise law compliance, franchise transfers, business sales and acquisitions, licensing agreements, and contract and related business negotiations.

Telecommunications Law

We are well positioned to represent cable providers, cable programmers, competitive Local Exchange Carriers, Fixed and Mobile Wireless Carriers, Information Service Providers, Telecommunications Equipment Manufacturers, Software Developers, Satellite Services Providers, Undersea Cable Operators, and Broadcast Licensees.

International Trade

Our firm represents foreign and domestic producers, services suppliers, and trade associations in a broad range of international trade and services matters, from high technology to heavy industry, to telecommunications and agriculture. Our trade team includes economic analysts and accounting and computer specialist, as well international trade lawyers, and provides comprehensive advice and assistance on all trade policy matters. We counsel clients in virtually all area of international trade law.

Cross Border Financing

The firm’s Business and Finance Group represents a wide variety of domestic and international enterprises, both public and private, in connection with organizational structure and control issues, financing and capital formation, commercial contract, transactions, tax planning, securities regulation and other matters. The group has a strong transactional focus, with substantial experience in acquisitions, dispositions, merger, joint ventures financings and restructurings.

Business Start-Ups

We have extensive experience representing entrepreneurial businesses through all stages of their development, from the start-up phase through maturity. Business plans, successfully raising capital, attracting and retaining employees and protecting intellectual property are critical to your success. By investing the time necessary to understand your business, we can respond effectively to you strategic concerns as well as day-to-day management problems all with one objective in mind: Helping you achieve you goals. We also acts as agents for foreign companies for the service of process and as correspondents to many international law firms that need a trusted law firm to help safeguard their clients’ interest in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.

Patents, Trademarks & Copyright

Our team of legal and scientific professionals provides strategic guidance to clients striving to build, maintain and protect patent portfolios, trade secrets and other proprietary information. We have the subject matter knowledge to service clients in any area of advanced technology. We offer all patent-related services, including patent searching, patent drafting and filing, patent prosecution (including interference practice), patent term extensions and regulatory exclusivity, due diligence reviews and opinions with regard to patentability, validity and infringement.

Our trademark group obtains and maintains trademarks and copyright registrations for our clients. Members of our group are also responsible for combating domestic and international piracy of our clients’ trademarks and copyrights.

International Investigation and Consulting

The law firm of M.O. Awoyemi & Co. is in the bleeding edge of international criminal and civil investigations. Most business transactions in Nigeria are legitimate. However because there are a number of fraudulent transactions, due diligence is necessary. We are often consulted to do due diligence work in order to separate the chaff from the wheat. We also investigate scams (scam mails, spam etc) or advance fee fraud as enshrined in section 419 of Nigeria’s criminal code on behalf of law enforcement agencies of various nations and the victims of such crimes. We can represent foreign victims of 419 scam before Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission.

Aviation Law

Our aviation practice crisscrosses every aspect of the aviation industry, including regulatory, aircraft finance and leasing, airline collaborations, joint ventures, and mass tort litigations related to injuries and death to passengers, crew members, and people on the ground as a result of airplane crashes. In 2015, our firm obtained a huge first of its kind, out of United State court settlement on behalf of 36 families of victims of the Dana Airlines Crash of June 3rd, 2012, which crashed into a community in Iju Ishaga in Lagos on its way from Abuja and killed 160 people on board the plane and scores on the ground. We litigated this case in a Federal District Court in Florida and won a successful forum non conveniens verdict on behalf of the nine Americans who were on board before we opted to settle the case out of court on behalf of our 36 clients who lost loved ones in the plane crash.