​Name: 
Azubike Okoye FPD
Location:  
Tampa, Florida, United States
Contact details: 
+2348037987039
Detailed CV available on request from Prime Dispute. 
Azubike Okoye FPD - CV 2023
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Qualifications: 
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)​, LL.M. (Master of Laws) in International Arbitration, University of Miami School of Law, Barrister-at-Law (B.L.), Barrister and Solicitor - Supreme Court of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Lawyer, FCIArb, FPD

Specialisation: 
Legal, International Arbitration; Arbitration; Mediation

Languages:
English and Igbo

Regions served: 
United Kingdom, US, Nigeria and further international regions as requested
Industry Sectors:*​​​​​
  • Aviation
  • Banking law and practice
  • Construction
  • Insurance
  • Intellectual property
  • Labour and employment
  • Real Estates and
  • Telecommunication

Practice Areas: *​​​
  • Arbitration​​ 
  • Arb-Med
  • Expert Witness
  • Med-Arb
  • Mediation​

Publications: Lecturer Engagements:
  • Legal Facilitator; Centre for Management and Development, Lagos State, Nigeria.
  • Speaker; Centre for Management and Development, Lagos State, Nigeria.
  • Speaker; Federal Road Safety, Special Marshals for Unit 102, Lagos State, Nigeria.
  • Peer Educator Instructor; United Nations International Children Emergency Fund under the auspices of National Youth Service Corps, Niger State, Nigeria
Professional Experience ((illustrative and not exhaustive):

(a) Arbitration: 
  • Acted for a leading Nigerian based construction company in a construction liability claim involving commercial terms and financial disputes relating to multiple engineering construction contract which amounts to approx. 
  • Acted for a foreign insurance company with a Nigerian presence in an insurance claim relating to Air Crash and passenger claims settlement connected with affected victims worth approx.
(b) Mediation: 
  • Acted as a Mediator in successful resolution of a dispute of over 7 years between an Employer and a Contractor pertaining to assignment of construction contractual obligations in a claim.
  • Acted as a Mediator in facilitating resolution of dispute involving restructuring of an estate of a deceased prominent Nigerian involving his real properties.
  • Acted as a Mediator involving a Nigerian financial institution with strong international presence in a hotly contested mortgage dispute.
  • Acted for a United States of America Bank in defending a claim relating to Oil Exploration and Trustee Obligation arising from a third-party liability claim. 
  • Acted for an international Bank in defending banking related claims arising from a mortgage transaction involving a Customer contesting debit transactions and excess charges claim approx.
  • Acted for a European established telecommunication entity with a branch in Nigeria in a commercial dispute involving claims bordering on Wireline Network Services and outside Plan Civil Works Services approx. 
  • Acted for an international financial institution in defending claims  in a consolidated multiple proceeding arising from a complex construction contract executed in Ghana. ​
(c) Expert Witness:
  • Acted as an Expert witness in a maritime contractual claim arising from the interpretation of terms of Advance Payment Guarantee and Performance Bond.
Background information: 
Azubike Okoye holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Law and Legal Studies, with a concentration in International Arbitration, from the University of Miami School of Law. He earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria.

Mr. Okoye currently serves as Vice President and Lead Counsel at Citigroup Global Markets Inc., where he advises on complex domestic and cross-border financial transactions. Prior to joining Citigroup, he began his legal career with F.O. Akinrele & Co, one of Nigeria's leading dispute resolution firms, where he advanced from Associate to Senior Associate and Team Lead in the firm's Dispute Resolution Practice. During his tenure, he represented multinational corporations, financial institutions, insurers, and high-net-worth clients in complex commercial litigation, arbitration, and mediation proceedings. While pursuing his LL.M., he also served as a practicum student with GST LLP, an international dispute resolution law firm in Miami, Florida.

His experience spans international arbitration, commercial litigation, mediation, financial markets, aviation, construction, insurance, telecommunications, corporate restructuring, shareholder disputes, and other cross-border commercial matters. He has represented clients before courts, arbitral tribunals, mediation panels, and other dispute resolution forums and has also served as a mediator and expert witness in complex commercial disputes.​
​
Mr. Okoye is admitted to practice law in Nigeria and the United States (MO). He was subsequently certified as a Foreign Legal Consultant by The Florida Bar, authorizing him to advise on the law of his home jurisdiction, but not to practice Florida law. He later transitioned to practice as an Authorized House Counsel in Florida and was admitted pro hac vice before the courts of New York. He was also appointed a Notary Public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and granted full rights of audience before the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Court.

Mr. Okoye's academic and professional achievements have been recognized through several prestigious distinctions, including the Federal Government of Nigeria Scholarship and the Young ICCA (International Council for Commercial Arbitration) Full Tuition Scholarship. He is a co-author of scholarly publications on international arbitration and commercial mediation, including a chapter in the internationally published LexisNexis/UIA volume, Commercial Mediation in the Digital Era. He is also the recipient of the African Arbitration Association Publication of the Year Award in recognition of his outstanding scholarly contribution to arbitration.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), United Kingdom, and Prime Dispute, United Kingdom. He is also a registered arbitrator with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), United States.

Mr. Okoye has served as a panelist, guest lecturer, and speaker at conferences, universities, and professional institutions across multiple jurisdictions. He was invited by the American Bar Association, International Law Section – International Mediation Committee, to speak on International Commercial Mediation in the Digital Era alongside internationally recognized dispute resolution practitioners, arbitrators, mediators, and legal scholars. He has also delivered presentations at the Centre for Management and Development (Nigeria) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná Law School (Brazil).

​​ Detailed CV available on request from Prime Dispute. 
*Prime Dispute also provides a 'Formal Appointment Service', All our senior neutrals who are officially appointed will need to comply with our ' Formal Criteria' before nomination.
*Conflict checks would need to be undertaken prior to the neutral being formally appointed.