“… the early years of practice are about cultivating the right mindset, keeping learning opportunities open, as wide as possible and keeping the hands busy.” – Joshua Abe
Joshua Abe is a Partner at Abe & Asotie LP which he co-founded. He is the head of the Firm’s Dispute Resolution Practice namely, Litigation, Arbitration, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. He is renowned for his exceptional ability to provide sound legal analysis and strategy on complex issues that require practical solutions in simple ways. He compliments this exceptional ability with the unique capacity to curate practical and easy-to-achieve legal options for clients.
He has extensive experience in litigation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution, having represented diverse categories of local and international clients in superior courts in Nigeria and before arbitral tribunals. Joshua also has robust advocacy and advisory experience in commercial law practice including banking and finance, intellectual property, oil & gas, labour law, environmental law, aviation, tax, insolvency, etc. He has successfully represented high-ranking multinationals and international companies in several diverse and specialised areas of law.
Joshua obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B) from the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria (UNIBEN), and was subsequently admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 2011. He obtained his Master of Laws (LL.M) from the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A., focusing on Business Law, Intellectual Property Law and Technology Law.
Joshua is a recipient of UC Berkeley’s African Legal Impact Award 2020. Prior to becoming a co-founding Partner at Abe & Asotie LP, he was the Managing Partner of CM Advocates Nigeria and before then, a Senior Counsel at Aluko & Oyebode, where he garnered cutting-edge legal experience and gained exposure in countless significant international and local transactions and disputes for well over a decade.
He is a member of:
i. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
ii. Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria. He is also a Bonafide insolvency practitioner, duly accredited by the Corporate Affairs Commission.
iii. The Section on Business Law of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-SBL).
iv. he Section on Legal Practice of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-SLP)
v. Lawyers in Energy Network.
vi. Intellectual Property Law Advocacy Network (IPLAN).
vii. Employment and Labour Lawyers Association of Nigeria.
1. The Driving Force for Choosing the Legal Profession.
Joshua’s journey to the legal profession was born out of a clear understanding of his strengths and limits. With stronger interest and understanding of Art (Humanities) subjects, he decided to pursue what he considered to be the most distinguished profession within the field, that is the legal profession. Besides this, Joshua considered “Law is an honourable profession” and in his teenage years, severally imagined himself practicing law in sophisticated fora.
Over the years, his decision to be a legal practitioner has been deeply fulfilling. Joshua finds his greatest reward in the impact he makes through his diligent application of the profession. He talked about how the smiles, excitement and reliefs he sees on the faces of his clients after getting desired results make the practice of law profoundly satisfying for him. Joshua holds the belief that law is more than a career because the knowledge and discipline of law transcends law practice as it equips lawyers to solve problems in all endeavours of life.
2. Qualities of an Exceptional Lawyer and How Young Professionals Can Cultivate Such Attributes
Joshua believes that the most exceptional lawyers are not necessarily the most intelligent lawyers. They are the ones who deliver legal services with integrity, hard work and the right attitude towards people and work. He holds the view that working with integrity may appear daunting and may often deliver little or no gain in the short-term, but it sure delivers the best and most sustainable reward in the long run. In today’s world, people (clients) are seriously looking for lawyers who can combine integrity with excellence and professionalism and any lawyer who fits this bid will definitely stand out. He explained that maintaining the right attitude – towards work, life and people is an additional virtue of exceptional lawyers. According to him some of the finest lawyers he has come to experience are those who do not see their job as a burden but as means to render value. This mindset often shapes their attitude to work with dedication and efficiency to deliver results. He believes that exceptional lawyers also understand the value of people and are able to support others, extend grace and also lean on others when they need support themselves.
Joshua is of the view that young professionals can only cultivate these qualities through intentionality. They must be intentional in approaching work with humility, willingness to learn, discipline to deliver, commitment to grow, consistency in their passion and the ability to build meaningful relationships with everyone around them. Joshua believes that building meaningful relationships at the early stage of one’s career is very important because when the people you build good relationships in the course of your career (the formative years especially) grow and spread into various sectors of endeavours, you effectively spread along with them because it is easier to trust an old friend.
3. Significant Ongoing Project or Initiatives and Possible Impacts.
Joshua described Abe & Asotie LP as the project he is currently working on. The firm which started operations on 1 February 2025 is projected to be one of the biggest law firms in Nigeria and Africa in the nearest future. To achieve this, Joshua believes that a lot of work needs to be done, and he has made the realisation of this dream his current project. Joshua took a bold step to co-found Abe & Asotie LP with Mr. Theokalus Asotie with a shared vision to drive positive impact both in the legal profession and the society at large. According to him, the law firm has the vision of providing strategic legal solutions that go beyond resolving immediate challenges to unlocking long-term opportunities. Whilst pursuing the aforementioned long-term dreams, Joshua is passionate about two goals which he seeks to achieve simultaneously.
First, he wants to ensure that the lawyers in the firm are able to get the needed platform and support to grow, imbibe and express quality leadership skills, and build fulfilling careers.
Secondly, as part of their corporate social responsibility, himself and the leadership of the firm are currently looking into contributing into Nigeria’s economic development by providing affordable and pro bono legal services to industries and sectors of Nigeria’s economy that are designed to promote economic diversity in Nigeria such as agriculture, technology and digital services, manufacturing of Nigerian fashion and cosmetics, entertainment, solid minerals etc. Joshua is confident that with the support his firm plans to give players and industries in the diversified economy, businesses in the diversified economy will be more sustainable, investor confidence in Nigeria will rise; and individuals and communities will be empowered to contribute more meaningfully to the GDP growth of the nation. Joshua explained that this is one of the ways his law firm would be a catalyst for sustainable economic and social development.
4. Role Models and Impactful Books.
Joshua’s journey in the legal profession has been profoundly shaped by the privilege of getting quality education from reputable institutions such as UNIBEN where he obtained his law degree, Nigerian Law School (NLS), Lagos Campus and University of California, Berkeley where he obtained his LL.M degree in Business Law and Intellectual Property/Techinology Law.
Joshua’s legal mind has been shaped by some of the finest minds in the legal profession. He mentioned Mr. Gbenga Oyebode whom he describes as an inspiring legal legend and a co-founder of the law firm of his last employment (Aluko & Oyebode) where he gained immense experience. Mr. Kola Awodein, SAN, a highly intelligent and tactical litigator/advocate who gave him the first exposure to commercial law practice both at the High Court and appellate courts; Honourable Justice (Mr.) Musa Sulaiman (now a Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria) whom he described as humble, caring and highly cerebral and was his first principal when he served in Minna, Niger state between 2011 and 2012; Mr. Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, a man renowned for his unmatched brilliance in commercial dispute resolution (litigation and arbitration); Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN whom he described as extremely pragmatic and consummate litigator with charisma; Mr. Mark Mordi, SAN, whom he described as a brilliant and astute litigator and intellectual property expert; Mr. Chukwuka Ikwuazom, SAN, who has a brilliant capacity to simplify complex subjects; Mr. Adewale Atake, SAN who is very quintessential and receptive. He was the first to offer Joshua an employment opportunity after law school; Mr. Sadiku Ilegieuno, who graciously held his hands as a mentor from the cradle years of his practice at the bar; Professor I.O Omoruyi, and Professor G. O Arishe who were his academic mentors.
He admires from afar the advocacy skills of Oluseun Awonuga, SAN, whose courtroom presence inspires him. Joshua noted that outside of the legal profession, his mind has been greatly influenced by the profound teachings and leadership of his father Pastor C.O Abe, Deaconess (Mrs.) G.A Abe, Pastor Godman Akinlabi, Pastor Debo Omotunde, Apostle Joshua Selman and Mrs. Ibukun Awosika. Together, these figures have not only influenced his professional growth but also shaped his appreciation for excellence, advocacy, service and impact in the practice of law and the society at large. He has also been positively impacted by books like Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant, Martin Luther King, Jr. on Leadership by Donald T. Philips, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Rules of Work by Richard Templar etc.
5. Advice or Guiding Principles for Young Legal Professionals and Advocates Trying to Find their Place and Purpose in the Legal Terrain.
According to Joshua, the early years of practice are about cultivating the right mindset, keeping learning opportunities open, as wide as possible and keeping the hands busy. He believes that the legal profession is very demanding and jealous and only rewards those who meticulously give it the required attention. He urges young lawyers to look beyond the current inconveniences, while encouraging them to desire unquenchable thirsty for growth and roll up their sleeves to work, because excellence in the profession is never accidental. He cautions against the mentality of rush and speed in getting to the top, emphasizing that direction is always better than speed. While direction guarantees a destination, speed without purpose guarantees nothing.
He further advises young lawyers not to sabotage their opportunities by clinging too rigidly to some personal interests or people to the detriment of others. In his experience, the profession opens doors in unexpected ways, and the path to success often comes through tasks and relationships one never imagines would come true.
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Editorial Team
Silver Obioha
Clinton Nyamongo
Kazeem Afolabi
Dikeledi Matlhagare
Tolulope Olasunkanmi
Sulaimon Badmus
Aya Hamdy
Princess Maake
Jemilat Akerele
Vera Enubianozor
Brandon Otieno
Oluwabusayo Awodele
Kyenpiya Wonang
Gift Nwoke
Jessica Odoh
Tracy Karumba
Mary-Jones Ossi
Halimah Oladunni
Mary Linus
Peter Momoh
Jessica Omoruyi
