Toyin Bashorun (SAN)
Toyin Bashorun (SAN)
Principal. L.L.B (Hons.), LLM B.L. SAN
CFS is managed by Ms. O.A. Bashorun L.L.B (Hons.), LLM B.L. SAN. She is a 1987 graduate of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Nigeria. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 and obtained her LLM degree from the University of Lagos in 1999. She also possesses an executive master’s degree in government and trade from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts USA.
Ms. Bashorun commenced her legal career as Junior Counsel in the firm of Olowofoyeku & Co during her National Youth Corps year. Thereafter she joined the firm of Abdullahi Ibrahim & Co. where in addition to acquiring more expertise and experience in advocacy, she also acquired considerable exposure and know-how in Corporate, Commercial, Financial and Insolvency matters. She participated in the preparation of legal documentation relating to Rights Issues as Solicitors to Issuing Houses for both private and public placements. She was actively involved in matters with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Nigerian Stock Exchange on behalf of companies and the Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization. She acquired considerable exposure and expertise about Capital Market matters and the working of the relevant regulatory authorities. She is presently registered as a consultant at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Ms. Bashorun subsequently left Abdullahi Ibrahim & Co for Chief Rotimi Williams Chambers where she was counsel in chambers from 1991–1998. Her tenure there afforded her the opportunity to be part of an internationally acclaimed and renowned legal practice and benefit from same. Her schedule of duties at Chief Rotimi Williams Chambers included conduct of commercial litigation at both Federal and State High Courts nationwide. She also regularly appeared at various Divisions of the Court of Appeal to argue both interlocutory and substantive appeals. Apart from regular appearances at the Supreme Court as Junior Counsel to Senior Advocates, she also argued motions and appeals at the Supreme Court. She has since matured into astute and ferocious litigator renowned for special cross examination skills in advocacy in the Nigerian superior courts of record.
Ms. Bashorun also acquired valuable exposure, expertise and experience in solicitor’s practice at Chief Rotimi Williams Chambers. She was active in the structuring, preparation and perfection of various commercial documentation; international transactions; mergers and acquisitions; aviation and environment matters, sales and leases of oil blocks amongst others.
Ms. Bashorun established her own practice in October 1998, which was further restructured in 2001 to emerge as what is now regarded as CFS. CFS entered into a strategic alliance with its partner law firm to better enhance the practice’s provision and delivery of responsive and effective service to clients in the most efficient manner. The alliance was from 2001 to 2009 when a Senior Partner of the alliance died. Thereafter CFS was further restructured into a high-profile legal firm with a leading senior advocate in Nigeria as the consulting partner.
Ms. Bashorun is a frequent speaker and has written extensively on various subjects, especially on environmental laws and its effect on foreign direct investment, and she has acted as part of the government think tank on the reformation of the Operating System in Lagos State judiciary,etc. She is listed in the ‘‘Who’s Who Legal Nigeria 2010, 2012 & 2014;’’ as leading environment lawyer in Nigeria.
Ms. Bashorun is an innovative legal practitioner, and active member of the Nigerian Bar Association, International Bar Association, Advocates International, Association of Intellectual Property Law Practitioners in Nigeria, International Trademark Association, as well as African Christian Lawyers Network. She is a regular and active participant at international Bar Association (IBA) conferences. She was until 2015 a council member, and IBA council representative on corporate /social responsibility. Her growing renown in the area of Environmental law is demonstrated by the fact that in recent years she has been invited on several occasions to prepare and present papers on various matters at the IBA conferences amongst some of the papers presented was at the International Bar Conference Singapor (2007), Titled ‘Glass Celings and Compensation Discrimination facing women lawyers’’ , International Bar Conference Argentina (2008) Titled ‘‘ Women in Development, Focus on Deficiency or Cultural Barriers’’ A legal and Judicial Perspective.
She also attends regularly Professional Workshops and seminars in areas of her professional practice in and outside Nigeria as part of her commitments to continuous professional training and acquisition of knowledge and skills relevant to her areas of practice. These courses include: Intellectual Property Law Seminar Organized by Benthey Edu & Co. (1991); Workshop on the Practical Implementation and Review of the Companies and Allied Matters Decree 1990 (27th – 29th Sept. 1995); Seminar on Intellectual Property Law and Environment Law at the TerraLex Conference Argentina, South America. (1996 and 1997); Workshop on the Review of Commercial Practice (1997); National Law Conference on Challenges of Legal Practice in the 21st Century Nigeria – by
Nigerian Law Reform Commission.(1997); Industrial Property Law Interest Group, in association with NOTAP and Federal Ministry of Commerce and Tourism (1997); Industrial Property Law Interest Group, in association with NOTAP and Federal Ministry of Commerce and Tourism (1998); Industrial Property Law Interest Group, in association with NOTAP and Federal Ministry of Commerce and Tourism (1999); World Women Lawyers Conference, London, 1st – 2nd March, 2001; International Bar Association Conference Nairobi Kenya (Oct 2001); International Bar Association Conference Cancun, Mexico (2001); Periodic Seminars organised by the Nigerian School of Advanced Legal on Commercial Law.(Since 1999). For the better part of 2009, she wrote opinions and comments for the ‘‘Going Green’’ Lawyers Corner of This Day Newspaper. She was also actively involved in the remedial actions against Mobil Oil and Chevron Texaco during the 2009, 2010, oil spillage in the South – South area of Nigeria. In 2009, she was appointed by His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, Raji Babatunde Fashola (SAN), member of the committee for the reformation of the justice sector and magistracy in Lagos State.
Other workshops and conferences attended by Ms. Bashorun includes; Yearly Finance Investment Conference in Dubai since 2005, to date, 13th African Securities Exchange Association (ASEA) Conference, (December 2009), Inaugural Dialogue of the Business Environment Network (BEN) which focused on ‘‘Enhancing the Legislative and Institutional Framework for the Effective and Efficient Resolution of Business – Related Disputes in Nigeria’’ July, (2010), African Regional Forum Conference Cape Town, South Africa (2010) ,International Bar Association Conference Bahamas, (2011),
Ms. Toyin Bashorun was among one of the facilitators at the training on effective litigation skills organised by Odade Consulting, February (2011).
She also received an award by the Legal Practice Division of the International Bar Association, as the officer of the African Regional Forum in October (2010) in recognition of her contribution and acknowledgement of her achievement.
She was secretary of the Stamp and seal committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 2012 -2015 and was responsible for the design and use of the current stamp and seal regime of the NBA. She was a Prosecutor at the Legal Practitioners’ disciplinary committee tribunal from 2013 to 2017. She is presently developing literature on family law and succession.
She was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria by the Privileges Committee of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in year 2017 and was conferred with instrument of the office of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2020.