What are the most significant cases and transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

The most significant cases we have been handling are ex-employee-related matters arising from the disposal of a segment of the company’s business some years ago. It involves claims for gratuities, redundancies, and some other benefits arising from their disengagement at the time. These matters are primarily before the Industrial Courts.

How have you attempted to bring the legal department closer to your business colleagues?

We engage colleagues by actively participating in the conceptualisation of strategies. We align any observed legal risks at this stage to ensure that any obstacles to achieving set business goals can be addressed in these early conceptual stages. This proactive approach helps prevent these issues from becoming issues that could impact the speed and agility to deliver on business goals later. We integrate Legal as a part of the business through our business partnering skills. As a result, the business now perceives legal as business enablers, and are always happy to involve Legal in business origination and conversations.

How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Nigeria over the next five-ten years?

The role of the general counsel has been evolving in Nigeria, and business owners are beginning to appreciate the value that a general counsel brings to the business, especially in the management of risks and the sustainability of the business. In this context, the general counsel’s role in the next five to ten years will be such that it will be integrated into the senior executive team, especially in those companies that currently view the role as an afterthought or one that they can do without in-house. More and more companies will now encourage retaining, in-house and at a senior level, a general counsel to provide guidance and advisory services from the business conception to its conclusion, encompassing the entire business process chain.