Olamide Ehinfun-Adekunle has been conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria at the age of 40, an elevation that has generated considerable interest among young lawyers as she becomes the youngest woman ever to attain the prestigious rank in the history of the Nigerian legal profession.
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Adekunle was among the 68 legal practitioners approved for elevation by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee on July 23, 2026. She was formally admitted to the Inner Bar by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, GCON, during the special session of the Supreme Court on October 12, 2026, which marked the opening of the 2026/2027 legal year.
Born on June 25, 1986, in Kaduna State and originally from Ijero-Ekiti in Ekiti State, Adekunle was 40 years old at the date of her conferment.
The distinction attached to her elevation is, however, one that requires precise wording. Younger male lawyers have previously attained the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The claim associated with Adekunle is that she is the youngest woman to have been conferred with the rank, rather than the youngest SAN in Nigeria’s history.
The timing of her elevation also places the record in clearer perspective. Adekunle turned 40 on June 25, 2026. Her name was approved by the LPPC on July 23, exactly 28 days later. She was therefore 39 during much of the application process that culminated in the 2026 list and had been 40 for less than a month when the Committee announced the successful applicants.
The more precise formulation is therefore that she was conferred with the rank at the age of 40.
Whether she is, in fact, the youngest woman ever elevated to the rank is a historical question that can only be conclusively settled by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, which holds the official records relating to persons conferred with the rank since its establishment.
Women have held the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria since 1981, when Chief Folake Solanke became the first Nigerian woman to attain the distinction. Forty-five years of conferments separate Solanke’s elevation from Adekunle’s in 2026, but there is no publicly available comprehensive register showing the dates of birth or ages at conferment of every woman who has been admitted to the Inner Bar during that period.
Consequently, while Adekunle has been widely reported as the youngest female SAN in Nigeria’s history, the claim remains one that the LPPC would be best placed to authoritatively confirm from its records.
Beyond the attention surrounding her age, Adekunle has built a legal career spanning litigation, arbitration, commercial law and appellate advocacy.
She studied Law at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, between 2003 and 2009, before proceeding to the Nigerian Law School, where she completed her professional training between 2009 and 2010. She subsequently obtained an LL.M. in International Trade Law from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, between 2011 and 2012.
She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom.
Her professional career has spanned more than 14 years. Adekunle joined Afe Babalola & Co. as a Partner in September 2013, following earlier professional experience at D. D. Dodo & Co. and the Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation.
Her areas of practice include high-profile litigation before Nigeria’s superior courts, including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, as well as oil and gas litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, election petitions, commercial and transactional law, regulatory compliance, strategic advisory work and complex negotiations.
The breadth of those practice areas is also relevant to the professional pathway through which lawyers attain the rank of SAN.
For candidates applying through the advocacy route, the process requires evidence of substantial courtroom practice, including a prescribed number of contested matters conducted and concluded at different levels of the superior courts, alongside other professional requirements relating to chambers facilities, staffing, legal resources, professional standing and integrity.
A practice involving election petitions, commercial disputes, oil and gas litigation and appellate work before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court is therefore within the kind of advocacy experience assessed in applications for elevation to the rank.
Adekunle has also spoken publicly about challenges confronting the Nigerian justice system.
In an interview with TheNation, she identified delay as one of the principal problems affecting the administration of justice in Nigeria, arguing that prolonged litigation increases the financial burden on litigants, weakens access to justice and, in some cases, pressures parties into accepting settlements they might not otherwise have considered.
She has advocated a number of reforms aimed at addressing those challenges.
Among them is the effective implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary, which she considers important to strengthening judicial independence and improving the administration of justice.
She has also called for prompt compliance with court orders, arguing that the authority and effectiveness of the judicial system depend not merely on courts delivering judgments but also on those decisions being obeyed.
Adekunle has further advocated reducing the volume of cases reaching the Supreme Court by making more decisions of the Court of Appeal final, a measure she believes could help decongest the apex court and enable it to concentrate on matters of broader constitutional and legal importance.
Another reform she has supported is the establishment of specialised commercial divisions in every state, particularly for the speedy determination of contractual, commercial and debt-related disputes.
She has equally called for greater awareness of existing legal-aid, reduced-cost and pro bono mechanisms so that more Nigerians, particularly those without the financial capacity to retain private counsel, can gain access to legal representation and the justice system.
On her elevation to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adekunle has also emphasised that the distinction comes with responsibilities beyond personal professional recognition.
She has spoken of the obligation of senior members of the profession to maintain high ethical and professional standards, mentor younger lawyers, defend the cause of justice and contribute to the development of the Bar, the Bench and society.
Adekunle has said she hopes her professional legacy will include mentoring younger lawyers, particularly women, while contributing to improved access to justice and higher standards of adjudication in Nigeria.
Four women were among the 68 legal practitioners sworn in as Senior Advocates of Nigeria by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on Monday, October 12, 2026.
The four women elevated to the Inner Bar were Soibi Ideriah Ovia, SAN; Igonikan Abiola Adekunle, SAN; Olujoke Enitan Aliu, SAN; and Olamide Mojigbotoluwa Adekunle, SAN, who, at 40, became the youngest woman ever elevated to the rank.
The 2026 cohort comprised a total of 68 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria, made up of 67 advocates and one academic, Professor Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri.
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