Teni Olowu is a legal analyst with our firm. She is a foreign-qualified attorney licensed in Nigeria, with a strong focus on disputes and litigation in admiralty and maritime law and corporate/commercial transactions. Teni completed a Masters Degree in Admiralty and Maritime Law at Tulane University in 2021.

Teni has led and supported legal advisory services provided to local and international clients on matters involving local content, cabotage, maritime labour, marine insurance, operations and management contracts, public-private partnerships, compliance with the relevant corporate governance laws, industry regulatory laws and business matters, including business incorporation and restructuring.

Teni has also represented and acted as co-chair on behalf of clients in in rem and in personam actions, debt recovery and repossession matters which also involved preparation of legal memoranda and opinions, briefs, and settlement agreements.

Teni is the founder of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Society in the University of Lagos, Nigeria, (established in 2012), and is an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK). She is also a young member of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association, which is the Nigerian Chapter of the Comite Maritime International (CMI).

Teni graduated with an undergraduate degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, Nigeria (LLB, 2014; BL, 2015).

Teni is fluent in both English and Yoruba (native).

Latest - Tenilola Olowu

Highlights of Teni’s work include the following:

In Rem Actions

  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented a major French Shipping Company in respect of an arrest of a charterer’s vessel based on unpaid bunkers in the sum of $180,000 (One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Dollars)
  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented a major Nigerian oil and gas operator in respect of an in-rem action against one of its contractors, in respect of outstanding charter hire of two of its vessels, in the sum of over N700,000,000 (Seven Hundred Million Naira)
  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented a Chinese Government Agency’s interest in court in relation to the arrest and repossession of its two vessels, further to a claim by bunker suppliers, and 33 crew men for their wages in the sum of N35,000,000 (Thirty-Five Million Naira)
  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that defended and secured the release of a vessel owned by a major Nigerian oil and gas company which was arrested based on outstanding charter hire and other management fees, in the sum of over $100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Dollars)
  • Key member of team that represented an International Supplier of Fuel and Lubricants, before the different courts of records – Trial and Appellate – and secured the release of its vessel, which was arrested on the basis of alleged outstanding supply of bunkers

Corporate/Commercial Transactions  

  • Key member of the team that acted as Legal Counsel to the Transaction Advisers to the Technical Committee for the development of the proposed Ibom Deep Sea Port (IDSP) in Akwa Ibom State, sponsored by the Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with Akwa Ibom State Government of Nigeria, which is valued at over $2,000,000 (Two Million Dollars)
  • Key member of the team that advised a Foreign Law Financial Institution in relation to the restructuring of an existing mortgage on two vessels, originally domiciled in a foreign registry, but currently under bareboat charter to a Nigerian entity
  • Key member of the Team that advised the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in relation to claims against it by a foreign insurer, for supplemental calls on insurance premium issued in respect of the provision of marine insurance cover for its vessels
  • Member of the Team that advised a foremost international Shipping Company on the potential investment in a seaport project in Lagos, Nigeria, valued at N1,000,000,000 (One Billion Naira).

Debt Recovery Actions

  • Led the team that represented a Dubai Management Systems Company in respect of outstanding payments due on provision of the management services in the sum of over N45,000,000 (Forty-Five Million Naira)
  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented a major Nigerian oil and gas operator in respect of the enforcement of two partial arbitral awards granted in its favour, against a Nigerian oil and gas service provider in the cumulative sum of about $1,200,000 (One Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars).
  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented a Norwegian International Accredited Registrar and Classification’s Maritime Division, in a debt recovery action against a Nigerian oil and gas service provider, in relation to unpaid technical management fees in the sum of over N100,000,000 (One Hundred Million Naira).
  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented a Dubai based Oil and Gas Company (Downstream and Midstream) in respect of the management cancellation fees in respect of a vessel hire for shipment of cargo, in the sum of about $150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars)
  • Key member of the team that represented a major Nigerian Oil and Gas operator in an arbitral proceeding in respect of the alleged outstanding service contracts fees due to its service provider in the sum of over N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira).

Regulatory Compliance  

  • Member of the team that advised a UK Law Firm on the applicable sales and use tax regulations in relation to the purchase of two submersibles, worth circa $3,000,000 (Three Million Dollars).
  • Key member of the team that represented a major oil and gas service provider in a claim by the Nigerian National Pension Commission by alleged outstanding pension contributions, worth circa N200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million Naira) as well as the attendant penalties thereto

Maritime Labour Actions

  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented a major Nigerian oil and gas operator in respect of the wrongful termination of employment suit filed by the Master of its vessel, in the cumulative sum of about N1,000,000,000 (One Billion Naira).
  • Co-Chair and key member of the team that represented an International Oil Field Service Company in a wrongful termination suit filed by one of its Managerial Staff, in the sum of over N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira)

Company Secretarial/Corporate Governance   

  • Co-lead and key member of the team that rendered company secretarial services and corporate governance compliance advisory to different shipping and logistics companies including Bourbon Interoil (Nigeria) Limited, Thome Offshore Group (Nigeria), Aramex Delivery Services Limited (Nigeria) and TSL Logistics Limited (Nigeria)
  • Key member of the team responsible for the drafting of Service Contracts for subcontractors of the above-mentioned clients.

Interested in specific aspects of Teni’s recent work? Contact [email protected] for further reference cases.

Professional Experience

  • Associate, Zeiler Floyd Zadkovich, New York/Chicago (Present)
  • Intern, CMA Education Foundation, Stamford, CT (Host Organization – Berman Legal LLC) (Feb – March 2022)
  • Associate, Banwo & Ighodalo, Lagos, Nigeria (2017-2020)
  • Trainee Counsel, Aina Blankson LP, Lagos, Nigeria (2016)
  • Counsel, Dikko and Mahmoud, Kano, Nigeria (2016)
  • Intern, Lagos Multi-Door Court House, Lagos, Nigeria (2012)
  • Intern, Banwo & Ighodalo (2009)

Education

  • Masters of Laws (LLM), Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (2021)
  • Barrister at Law (BL) (Hons.), Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, Nigeria (2015)
  • Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB) (Hons.), Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Nigeria (2014)