Folake Elias-Adebowale

FOLAKE ELIAS-ADEBOWALE

PARTNER

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Folake Elias-Adebowale is a corporate partner and a member of the firm’s M&A, Private Equity & Venture Capital, and Oil and Gas teams. Her specialisations include cross-border and domestic equity and asset investments, divestments, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring and restructuring, joint ventures, strategic alliances, fund advisory, and compliance matters.

She advises financial, operational, and other sponsors, investors, funds, fund managers, and corporates, including multinationals and conglomerates, organizations, and other clients on diverse matters and transactions in agriculture, agro-allied, brewery, construction, digital payments, consumer, energy (including renewables), energy services, financial services, FinTech, FMCG, food and beverage, healthcare, industrial, infrastructure, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, reinsurance, and travel sectors, among others.

Folake’s regulatory advocacy work includes participating on the board of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, Nigeria (PEVCA) and on the legal and regulatory committees of the Global Private Capital Association (GPCA) legal and the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA). She serves on a joint committee established by PEVCA and the Securities and Exchange Commission that focuses on the regulation of private equity and venture capital in Nigeria.

She headed teams that produced a social impact investment mapping report for the Impact Investors’ Foundation and various parastatals; headed a Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment private equity and venture capital development initiative, and assisted with a state initiative to review and prepare draft legislation for the downstream gas sector among other regulatory advocacy initiatives.

Folake is ranked by the Chambers Global Guide for Corporate/M&A and Private Equity and is also ranked for Oil & Gas; Chambers FinTech Legal Guide for FinTech Investment and Venture Capital advisory; the International Financial Law Review (IFLR1000) for M&A, Project Finance, and Restructuring; the Legal500 for Commercial, Corporate, and M&A and rated a Leading Individual for Energy and Natural Resources; and by Who’s Who Legal Global Guide (M&A and Governance) and Who’s Who Legal Guide (Nigeria) respectively for her M&A and Governance, Energy, Natural Resources & Mining, Project Finance, and Capital Markets (Private Equity) work. She is commended by TheLawyer’s Africa Elite Private Equity Report, has been named an IFLR1000 Woman Leader and is regarded as one of BusinessDay Nigeria’s Top 20 Outstanding Nigerian Women in Business Law.

Folake serves as a non-executive director on company and association boards. She authors articles and updates makes presentations and facilitate training on private equity, M&A, oil and gas, investment, employment, regulatory and compliance matters and on business writing. Her thought leadership pieces have been published by Chambers Global Practice Guides, The Law Review, the IFLR1000, the ICLG, Mondaq, Lexology, the International Law Office, GPCA, AVCA, Into Africa, Centaur, and Afriwise, among others.

CAREER

2007	Partner, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie
2002	Senior Associate, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie
1995	Attachment, G. Elias & Co
1992	Placement, Field Fisher Waterhouse Solicitors, London
1991	Research Assistant, International Legal Department, Midland Montagu (later Hong Kong Fir) Bank, London
1991	Research Assistant, the Law Commission of England & Wales
1991	Mini Pupillage, 4, Stone Buildings Chambers, Lincoln’s Inn
1991	Mini Pupillage, 4, Essex Court Chambers, Lincoln’s Inn

QUALIFICATIONS

1996	BL, Nigerian Law School
1993	LL.M, University College, London
1992	BA, (Jurisprudence), Somerville College, Oxford University
1997	MA (Honoris Causa) Oxford University

BAR ADMISSIONS

1996

Nigeria

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Nigerian Bar Association