Young business lawyer – Chidi Odoemenam

Full name – Chidi Odoemenam
Organisation – Rendeavour
Area of Practice – Projects & Infrastructure, and Corporate Finance
Years of Experience – 6 years

Professional Summary
Chidi Odoemenam is a senior associate at Rendeavour Nigeria, where he is focused on projects and infrastructure, utilities (power, gas, water and ICT), and general business and commercial law matters. Chidi specifically provides commercial law support to the infrastructure rollout plans at Alaro City; a mixed-use, integrated city being developed by Rendeavour in partnership with the Lagos State Government on 1,000 hectares of land in the Lekki Free Zone. Chidi’s experience also includes a background in corporate finance law, gained from his time working with the Corporate Finance team at Aluko & Oyebode where he advised on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and finance matters, and completed a secondment at the London offices of the international law firm, Slaughter and May. He has authored articles in Practical Law, BusinessDay and the Capital Markets Solicitors Association’s Yearly Publication, and has been featured on the Capital Markets Programme on Channels Television.

Chidi was part of the team that advised on the construction of the 2.5km section of the Main Boulevard (an eight-lane dual carriageway road) and associated infrastructure works in Alaro City. Chidi was also part of the team that advised Access Bank Plc on its merger with Diamond Bank Plc, a transaction which created the largest bank in Africa by total assets as well as the number of customers, spanning 12 countries and three continents.

Five Questions with Chidi

What have you learned from your experience as a young lawyer so far and how has it shaped you?

My work as a commercial lawyer has exposed me to high stake transactions where I have had to devise creative solutions to complex issues with critical implications for businesses and the economy. This has shaped my approach to life and work in general and has improved my ability to comprehensively analyse and identify issues, with a view to devising viable and lasting solutions. The diverse range of commercial transactions spanning different sectors and practices which I have had the privilege to advise on has also afforded me the opportunity to learn about the intricacies of multiple businesses and their pain points and generally improved my ability to provide commercially-tailored legal advice to businesses.

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Can you share a particular case or project that you worked on and that you are particularly proud of? What made it stand out to you?

I am particularly proud of the Alaro City Main Boulevard project (an eight-lane dual carriageway road), which is the widest privately-owned road in Africa being developed for Alaro City. The road plays a critical role in creating access to several parts of the city’s residential, commercial, and light industrial zones and is the second of four major access points from the Lekki-Epe Expressway into the city. The project also complements the infrastructure development drive of the Lagos State Government in the Lekki Free Zone corridor, aimed at encouraging investment in the zone.

How do you stay up-to-date in your field, and what resources do you rely on? How can young lawyers learn from this?

I rely on a mix of legal and non-legal resources to ensure I maintain a steady balance of legal and commercial information. For legal resources, I read publications on my areas of practice published on resources such as Practical Law, Lexology and LexisNexis. I also rely on publications by Nigerian and international law firms, press releases from regulators, and case law reports. For commercial and business information, I pay close attention to local and international news on social and print media for up-to-date information on business and socio-political events.

What does a healthy work-life balance mean to you and how can young lawyers be better positioned to achieve a healthy work-life?

A healthy work-life balance is about finding the right balance between work and personal life which allows one to manage their time and energy in a way that promotes both their professional and personal well-being. A healthy work-life balance means that you are able to perform optimally at work while also having enough time to enjoy your personal life, hobbies and interests as well as spend time with family and friends. Whilst the work demands of the legal profession can be challenging, young lawyers can position for a healthy work-life balance by being realistic about their workload, effectively communicating with their supervisors about their capacity, having effective time management skills, and building a strong support system of friends and family to help reduce stress and provide a sense of community.

What one leader do you look up to and why?

Gbenga Oyebode. As a reputable businessman and commercial lawyer who has invested in, and helped build multiple successful businesses, Oyebode continues to inspire young commercial lawyers like myself through his ability to achieve success as one of Nigeria’s prominent lawyers and consummate dealmakers, and as an entrepreneur, investo