Dr Chukwuma Okoli

Dr Chukwuma Okoli

Birmingham Law School
Assistant Professor in Commercial Conflict of Laws

Contact details

Email
c.okoli@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Chukwuma Okoli is inter alia the author of two major books on conflict of laws that were published in 2020: (a) Place of Performance: A Comparative Analysis (Oxford: Hart 2020), and (b) Private International Law in Nigeria (with Professor Richard Frimpong Oppong) (Oxford: Hart 2020). He specialises in conflict of laws, international commercial litigation and international civil procedure. He is also a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and has previously provided consultancy services on the content of Nigerian law.

Qualifications

  • Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Amsterdam/TMC Asser Institute, 2019 -2021
  • PhD, University of Luxembourg, 2018
  • LLM, University of Aberdeen, 2012
  • BL, Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, 2008
  • LLB, University of Benin, Nigeria, 2007

Biography

Dr Chukwuma Okoli is a Lecturer in Commercial Conflict of Laws at the University of Birmingham, one of the editors on conflict of laws.net, and a co-founder of the Nigerian Group on Private International Law.

Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, he was inter alia, a Postdoctoral Researcher at TMC Asser Institute/University of Amsterdam for well over two years, a Teaching Fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Luxembourg for about four years, where he taught Comparative Private International law, Comparative English Law of Contract, and Comparative English Law of Tort. He has a special interest in international commercial litigation or commercial conflict of laws.

He is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria since 2008. He practiced law in reputable law firms for about three years in the area of domestic and international commercial transactions. He also holds an LLM in International Commercial Law (with distinction) from the University of Aberdeen and undertook his PhD in commercial conflict of laws (University of Luxembourg), where his PhD was graded as "without corrections" and "very good". He graduated with a Second Class Upper Division both at the University of Benin, Nigeria in 2007, and Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus in 2008.

His principal research interest is in all aspects of Private International Law/Conflict of Laws, with a special focus on the Nigeria, Africa, United Kingdom and the European Union. He has significant publications on these subjects. He is the author of a substantial monograph on a civil and commercial aspect of European Union Private International Law, and the co-author of the leading text on Nigerian Private International Law.

He has also provided consultancy services on the content of Nigerian law.

Teaching

  • Commercial Conflict of Laws at Postgraduate (Seminar Leader)
  • Financing of International Trade at Postgraduate
  • Equity and Trusts at Undergraduate

Postgraduate supervision

Find out more - our PhD Law  page has information about doctoral research at the University of Birmingham.

Research

My research is focused on conflict of laws with a special focus on international commercial litigation in Nigeria, Africa, United Kingdom and the European Union. I am currently working on writing a major text on conflict of laws in Africa.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Okoli, C 2023, 'The Significance of a Forum Selection Agreement as an Indicator of the Implied Choice of Law in International Contracts: A Global Comparative Perspective', Uniform Law Review. https://doi.org/10.1093/ulr/unad016

Okoli, C, Yekini, A & Oamen, P 2022, 'Igiogbe custom as a mandatory norm in conflict of laws: an exploration of Nigerian appellate courts’ decisions', African Journal of International and Comparative Law. <https://www.euppublishing.com/loi/ajicl>

Okoli, C 2021, 'Analysis of choice of court agreements in Nigeria in the Year 2020', Nederlands Internationaal Privaatrecht, vol. 2021, no. 2, pp. 292-305.

Okoli, C 2021, 'Owen v Galgey', Journal of Personal Injury Law, vol. 2021, no. 2, pp. 78-82.

Chapter

Okoli, C & Yekini, A 2023, Private International Law and Teaching Methodology: A Nigerian Perspective. in L Pineiro & X Kramer (eds), Research Handbook on Private International Law and Methodology. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham.

Yekini, A & Okoli, C 2023, Prospects for Africa. in M Weller, J Ribeiro-Bidaoui, M Brinkmann & N Dethloff (eds), The HCCH 2019 Judgments Convention: Cornerstones, Prospects, Outlook. 1st edn, Studies in Private International Law, Bloomsbury Publishing, Oxford. <https://www.bloomsbury.com/in/hcch-2019-judgments-convention-9781509959549/>

Okoli, C 2023, The enforcement of foreign jurisdiction clauses in Nigeria: a critique of the Nigerian court of appeal’s recent restatement. in Yearbook of Private International Law Vol. XXIV - 2022/2023. Yearbook of Private International Law, vol. XXIV, Otto Schmidt/De Gruyter european law pub, pp. 217-231.

Lazic, V & Okoli, C 2022, Private international law and cooperation in civil and commercial matters after Brexit – legislative gaps and future developments. in A Lazowski & A Cygan (eds), Research Handbook on Legal Aspects of Brexit. 1st edn, Research Handbooks in European Law series, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham, pp. 221-239. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800373143.00018

Okoli, C 2020, Choice of Law in the European Union: Common Law Procedure and Evidence. in Yearbook of Private International Law. vol. XXI, pp. 189 - 199.

Book/Film/Article review

Okoli, C 2023, 'Direct Jurisdiction: Asian Perspectives, edited by Anselmo REYES and Wilson LUI: Studies in Private International Law – Asia, Oxford, Great Britain and Sydney, Australia: Hart Publishing an Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021. 440pp. Hardcover: AUD$260.00; eBook (pdf Watermarked): AUD$233.99', Asian Journal of International Law.

Okoli, C 2023, 'Jurisdiction Over Non-EU Defendants: Should Brussels Ia Regulation be Extended?, by Tobias Lutzi, Ennio Piovesani, and Dora Zgrabljic Rotar (eds), Oxon, Great Britain: Studies in Private International Law, Hart Publishing, an Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing 2023, 356pp. Hardcover: £81.00; eBook (pdf watermarked): £64.80', International & Comparative Law Quarterly, vol. 72, no. 4.

Comment/debate

Okoli, C 2022, 'Territorial jurisdiction relating to succession and administration of estates under Nigerian conflict of laws', African Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 124-128. https://doi.org/10.3366/ajicl.2022.0397)

Okoli, C 2021, 'The Nigerian Court of Appeal declines to enforce an Exclusive English Choice of Court Agreement', African Journal of International and Comparative Law.

Other contribution

Okoli, C 2023, English Language Bibliography of Private International Law in Africa for 2022 - 2023. Revue critique de droit international privé.

Review article

Okoli, C 2023, 'The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial matters in Asia', Journal of Private International Law, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 522-541. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441048.2022.2115615

View all publications in research portal