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Folashade Alli SAN

Folashade Alli SAN (born 21^st April 1963) is a renowned Nigerian lawyer, arbitrator, philanthropist and gender equity advocate. She is the Principal Partner at Folashade Alli & Associates.

In 2023, she was elevated to the highly esteemed rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Early Life

Childhood and Family

Folashade Alli was born on the 21st of April, 1963 in London. She is the first child of Aare Afe Babalola SAN, CON and Princess Grace Adebisi Babalola (nee Adesanya), the daughter of the late Awujale, Gbelegbuwa II of Ijebu-Ode.

She is an elder sister to Nigerian filmmaker and executive producer, Bolanle Austen-Peters who is the founder and owner of Terra Kulture Arena.

Early Education

Folashade attended Sacred Heart Primary School, Onireke, Ibadan from 1968 to 1972 for her Primary Education. She proceeded to St. Louis Grammar school in Mokola, Ibadan from 1973 to 1978, and she is the current Vice President of the Alumni Association of St. Louis Grammar School. Folashade went to Oyemekun Grammar School in Akure for her A-Levels because of her father’s desire to keep her connected to her roots.  

Thereafter she gained admission to study law at the prestigious University of Lagos from 1981 to 1984 where she obtained a degree in Bachelors of Laws (LL.B) and graduated with a Second Class Upper Division and with Honors.  She proceeded to the Nigerian Law School in Lagos in 1984, and was called to the Nigerian Bar where she gained her B.L to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1985.  

In 1987 she proceeded to the United Kingdom to pursue her LLM at the University College London and she obtained her Masters Degree with a specialization in Commercial and Corporate Law.

Career

In 1990 she was admitted into the English Bar, and is a member of the Lincoln’s Inn, London. She got a tenancy to practice in London, and worked at the Chambers of Robert Skyes from 1990 to 1992 in core Criminal Law practice.

In 1995, Folashade Alli returned to Lagos, Nigeria and worked in one of the most foremost law firms, Aluko and Oyebode, as the Head of the Intellectual Property Law department. In 1999 she left Aluko and Oyebode to take on the role as the General Counsel and Group Legal Adviser for the Bollorre Group. She continued in that role until 2001, when she left to start up her own Law Firm. In 2001, Folashade Alli became the Founding Partner of VatAd Solicitors which at the time, was the only law firm in Nigeria with a specialization in VAT Recovery.

The firm grew in number and in specialty, and in 2018, the name of the firm was changed to Folashade Alli and Associates to reflect the firm’s full specialization in legal and business advisory services to a diversified client base. 

Folashade Alli has extensive experience in arbitration and mediation and has been an arbitrator, counsel and registrar on numerous tribunals in disputes relating to maritime, construction, oil and gas, finance and intellectual property.

In 2015, she became a Chartered Arbitrator, and is currently the only Nigerian who sits in the Professional Conduct Committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK. Folashade Alli is a commissioned member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Paris and has been the Chairman of Arbitral Tribunals, sole arbitrator, and has served as legal counsel in various complex arbitration disputes under the auspices of all the major arbitration institutions in Nigeria.

Within the Nigerian legal community, Folashade Alli is an active and engaged member of the Nigerian Bar Association. Her involvement extends to participation and leadership in various committees. From 2018 till present, Folashade Alli has held many positions within the Nigerian Bar Association, Section on Legal Practice. Currently, she serves as the Chairperson of the Law Firm Management Committee.

Beyond her legal responsibilities, Folashade Alli is a passionate advocate for women's rights and she actively participates in the Nigerian Bar Association Women’s Forum. In 2021, she was the Head of the Advocacy Committee, and drafted the Sexual Harassment Policy, subsequently adopted as the official policy for the entire Nigerian Bar Association.

She has published papers on various aspects of law, and has delivered presentations across various prominent international platforms such as IFLR and Lexology Index.

She currently sits on various boards of directors and governing councils such as that of Afe Babalola University and Day Waterman College.