Efosa Ewere is a Partner at Gravida Attorneys. She is an experienced Lawyer with an understanding and knowledge of the Nigerian Judicial System which experience she has garnered over the years as an avid Litigator, Arbitrator and Mediator.
She is a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Member of the YMG Steering Committee Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Nigeria, Chartered Secretary and Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, Associate Member of Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners of Nigeria and a Member of Women in Management Business and Public Service.
She has a keen interest in Intellectual Property Law, particularly in the area of Entertainment and Fashion, and is an active young member of the Insolvency Community in Nigeria.
With her training as a Legal Practitioner, given her early years of practice as a Litigator, she realised that some disputes were better settled outside the Court Room. To practice effectively as an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practitioner, it became apparent for her that acquiring knowledge and developing skills in ADR would yield better results as a professional.
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While in Law school, she was introduced first to ADR as a course, then she went through training in mediation which exposed her to the academic dynamics of mediation. Graduating from Law school, she practised first as a Litigator then her interest in ADR strengthened from assisting the law firm she worked for at the time to research on a case that gained popularity within her jurisdiction; Mekwunye v. Imoukhuede (2019) 13 NWLR (Pt. 1690) 439 when it was instituted at the High Court.
With her research findings, she decided to write the Introduction to Arbitration Course examination in 2011. Asides consultation purposes and applying the knowledge acquired academically, she did not give it utmost attention till 2016. Her interest in 2016 birthed her appointment as a steering committee member of the Young Members Group, CIArb from 2017 to 2020, and now to being the current Chair of the Young Members Group, CIArb Nigeria Branch.
On challenges women face in ADR, she admits that a few women were unwilling to be mentors to younger women within the ADR community.
Becoming a Fellow of the Institute is what Efosa regards as her biggest achievement so far. She admits it was a tough journey and she almost lost all hope that she would pass the Accelerated Fellowship Examination.
Audacious Efosa has never failed to recognise the challenges of being in a mostly male dominated part of her practice, but she affirms that the men are aware that women have woken up to the challenge and a majority have begun to consciously adopt a gender diversity approach.
