Olaotan Akinola Silva was born in Lagos State, Nigeria, on August 8th 1977. He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in May, 2002. He attended the University of Lagos, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B Hons.) in 2000 and the University of Leeds, School of Law, where he obtained a Master of Laws (International Corporate Law) (LL.M.) in 2010.
Olaotan started his professional career with the Nigerian law firm of F.O. Akinrele & Co. early in 2004, rising to the position of Senior Associate in the Corporate/Commercial and Foreign Investments Department in 2008. While there he garnered a wealth of experience in commercial law and regulatory compliance especially in immigrations, foreign investments, shipping, aviation and oil and gas sectors in Nigeria. He also assisted in the Shipping Litigation department of the above-mentioned firm. He was instrumental in obtaining arrest orders of ships, court ordered movement of ships under arrest and settlement of maritime cases.
Olaotan had always been fascinated since his undergraduate studies at the University of Lagos, by the corporate form and the laws regulating it. Therefore, in 2009, he proceeded for further studies in International Corporate Law at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, bagging a Master of Laws degree in the subject (i.e. International Corporate Law) from the university’s School of Law, late in 2010.
His dissertation while at Leeds was in Corporate Rescue, the study of schemes to save companies experiencing financial distress from extinction. On getting back to Nigeria, he put the knowledge and skills obtained with respect to Corporate Rescue into practice as he sat on the Management Advisory Board of 5G’s Printing Press with the mandate to re-structure management of the commercial press, before securing an appointment with Olajide Oyewole LLP, a commercial law firm in Lagos, Nigeria. He was in the Corporate Services Group of the firm, lending support to members of the Group on commercial and corporate aspects of the Group’s client’s interests especially with reference to reviewing and drafting all types of commercial agreements, assisting with due diligence exercises, advising on documentary aspects of share sale, share subscription and business sale and acquisition transactions. He was also active in the corporate filings and corporate secretarial aspects of work undertaken by the Group.
Olaotan is currently a Partner of Awodi & Co., while heading the Corporate/Commercial Department of the firm. He has brought his wealth of experience to bear in protecting the interests of the firm’s clientele as regards corporate, commercial and company secretarial aspects of such businesses. He assists with the importation and exportation (as dividends) of working capital of the firm’s foreign clientele that take the decision to invest in Nigeria. He also procures all required immigration approvals to employ expatriate personnel for the firm’s clients.
Olaotan is fluent in spoken and written English and enjoys reading, watching historical documentaries (especially on World War II) writing poetry, postage stamp collecting, listening to music and travelling.