Daniel Wilmot, a Partner in the International Arbitration practice at Stewarts, has visited Lagos for an engagement with Nigerian law firm OBRA Legal LP, with discussions focusing on international arbitration, cross-border disputes and the expanding role of African jurisdictions in the global dispute-resolution.
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The engagement provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on the development of international arbitration practice, particularly disputes with a Nigerian or wider African dimension, as well as the importance of stronger professional relationships between Nigerian law firms and international arbitration practitioners.
According to an account of the meeting shared following the engagement, the discussions examined the practical intersection between international arbitration and disputes involving Nigeria, including how practitioners operating locally can engage more closely with sophisticated cross-border commercial matters.
The meeting also considered the evolving position of African jurisdictions within international dispute resolution and the opportunities that deeper interaction between Nigerian practitioners and international arbitration specialists could create for knowledge exchange, professional development and work on complex multi-jurisdictional disputes.
Wilmot is a specialist international arbitration lawyer at Stewarts, where he acts in international commercial and investor-state arbitrations as well as arbitration-related proceedings before the English courts. His work has involved disputes conducted under major institutional rules and ad hoc arrangements across different jurisdictions and governing laws.
His practice also has a significant African dimension. Stewarts says Wilmot has worked on matters involving Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Seychelles, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Botswana, among other jurisdictions. His experience spans sectors including oil and gas, infrastructure, mining, finance, technology, power, transportation and shipping.
Among his Nigeria-related experience, the firm lists his involvement in international arbitration concerning Nigerian energy and oil and gas companies, including disputes involving multinational counterparties and financial institutions. He also has experience in challenges to arbitral awards, enforcement proceedings, jurisdictional disputes and injunctive relief before English courts.
Stewarts separately describes its Africa practice as focused on dispute-resolution work involving the continent, with arbitration forming part of its cross-border litigation and disputes offering.
OBRA Legal LP, meanwhile, identifies arbitration and alternative dispute resolution among its areas of practice and says its work includes cross-border and multi-jurisdictional business and legal matters.
The Lagos discussion was described as particularly valuable for developing dispute-resolution practice and deepening engagement with international arbitration and complex commercial matters.
The conversation also explored how professional exchanges of this nature could move beyond networking to create stronger working relationships between Nigerian and international practitioners and facilitate greater participation in sophisticated cross-border work.
Particular attention was placed on the importance of meaningful professional connections between Nigerian practices and lawyers operating in established international arbitration centres, given the increasing cross-border nature of major commercial disputes involving African businesses, governments and investors.
Nigeria’s arbitration framework is principally governed by the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023, which applies to domestic and international arbitration and provides mechanisms for the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards. International institutions also continue to play a significant role in complex and high-value cross-border disputes involving Nigerian parties.
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