The Nigerian Lawyers Association

2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

 

Oliver Mbamara, Chairman

Oliver O. Mbamara is an Administrative Law Judge ("ALJ") of New York State. He began multiple careers as a lawyer, theater and  film director, actor, playwright, and poet in Nigeria where he also graduated as an Attorney from the University of Lagos. He was subsequently admitted to the Nigerian bar in 1990 where he practiced law for a number of years before moving to the United States. He continued his legal education and career in the United States and was subsequently admitted to the New York bar and has been serving as an ALJ for over ten years now.  He has been a member of the Nigerian Lawyers Association since its inception.

Oliver is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of a number of Award winning Online magazines including www.AfricanEvents.com and he has also published several books and continues to be a freelance writer and commentator on cultural and socio-economic issues especially those pertaining to Africa and Nigeria in particular. He has written and directed (including starring in) several films such as This America, On the Run Again, and Slave Warrior, an epic Nollywood film on the era of trans-Atlantic slave trade from the African perspective (www.SlaveWarrior.com). His other recent works include; the Spade Movie Series - Spade: The Last Assignment and The Return of Spade (www.SpadeMovies.com) and a Television Comedy series about the immigrant experience in Diaspora titled, Cultures starring Chika Okpala (MON, MFR), alias Chief Zebrudaya (www.CulturesTVSeries.com). 

More about Oliver and his works can be found at www.OliverMbamara.com

Folake Ayoola is an associate in the Securities and Capital Markets Group of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s New York office. She attended the Columbia University School of Law where she obtained her Juris Doctorate and Masters of Laws degrees in 2004 and 2002, respectively. At the Columbia School of Law, she was, among other distinctions, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a Parker School Certificate for Achievement in International & Comparative Law awardee. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University College London, University of London (2000), graduating with upper class honors (magna cum laude). She started her legal career at the Houston office of Baker Botts LLP and is admitted to the New York State Bar and the Texas State Bar. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, Houston Bar Association and the Houston Young Lawyers Association. Ms. Ayoola was the President of African Professional Organization in Houston and a former Director of The Endeavor for Hope Foundation, a U.S. based charitable organization. She is also a mentor for the Dress for Success Houston Woman to Woman Mentoring Program.

Ms. Ayoola was the 10th president of the NLA.

  

 

Kunle Deru is an associate in the Capital Markets Group of Sidley Austin LLP’s New York office. He attended the Columbia University School of Law, where he obtained a Master of Laws degree in 2004, with the Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar distinction and holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Lagos (1999), graduating with upper class honors (magna cum laude). At the Columbia School of Law, he co-founded the African Law Students Association. He started his legal career at the Lagos office of the law firm of Aluko & Oyebode. He is the author of “Researching the Law on the Internet” (published by Kdlaw Publications, July 2003) and is admitted to the Nigerian Bar and the New York Bar.

 

Mr. Deru was the 8th president of the NLA. Mr. Deru is also a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association, and is an associate member of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative. 

  

Emeka Chinwuba is an associate in the Finance Group of Shearman & Sterling LLP's New York office. 

He attended Columbia University School of Law, where he obtained his Masters of Laws degree in 2006 and also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2000) graduating with upper class honors (magna cum laude). He obtained his Barrister at Law degree from the Nigerian Law School, Abuja in 2002 and started his legal career at the Lagos office of Olaniwun Ajayi & Co shortly afterwards. He is also admitted to the New York State Bar. As a finance associate, Emeka has worked on a variety of complex domestic and international financial transactions acting on both the lenders and borrower sides in different transactions. 

Emeka was the 9^th president of the NLA and is currently the a Co-Chair for the black lawyers affinity group at Shearman & Sterling LLP (a group formed to assist the partnership recruit, train and retain black associates at the firm). Emeka also serves the community through his involvement in various pro bono projects such as Lawyers without Borders - Liberian case law annotation and digitalization, and the Family Court Project in New York City designed to assist indigent persons obtain free legal counsel on family law related matters.

Mr. Chinwuba was the 9th president of the NLA.

 

Temi Ofuya is a member of the Board of Directors of the NLA. Mr. Ofuya has been In-House Advisory Counsel & Vice President at Morgan Stanley/Morgan Stanley Smith Barney since 2007. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Mr. Ofuya was with the international law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York from 2002 to 2007. At Weil, Gotshal, & Manges, Mr Ofuya was a corporate/corporate finance associate and advised on securities law, bank lending, restructuring as well as general corporate matters. Temi Ofuya graduated with a Juris Doctor (Cum Laude) degree from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 2002. While at the Law School, Mr. Ofuya was Publications Editor of the Buffalo Law Review. Mr. Ofuya holds a B. Sc (Hon) degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Mr. Ofuya is admitted to practice law before the Courts of the State of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.