Dr Chukwuma Okoli

Dr Chukwuma Okoli

Birmingham Law School
Assistant Professor in Commercial Conflict of Laws

Contact details

Address
University Âé¶¹¾«Ñ¡
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


Chukwuma is an Assistant Professor in Commercial Conflict of Laws at the University Âé¶¹¾«Ñ¡, one of the editors on conflictoflaws.net, and a co-founder of both the Nigerian Group on Private International Law, and Interest Group on Private International Law in Africa. He is, inter alia, the author of two leading monographs published in Hart Studies on Private International Law, both in 2020: "Place of Performance: A Comparative Analysis", and "Private International Law in Nigeria" (with Professor Richard Frimpong Oppong.)

Prior to joining the University Âé¶¹¾«Ñ¡, 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 and commercial conflict of laws.

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 without corrections. 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 global perspectives, Nigeria, Africa, United Kingdom, the European Union and Asia. He has significant publications on these subjects and is frequently cited in academic publication.

In Birmingham Law School, he has taught across five modules including: Equity and Trusts, Tort, and Private International Law to undergraduate students, and Commercial Conflict of Laws and Financing of International Trade to postgraduate students. He is the joint module leader for Equity and Trusts, and module leader for both Commercial Conflict of Laws.

Chukwuma is qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria for over 15 years. He has also previously practiced law in Nigeria before moving abroad. He has frequently given expert evidence on Nigerian law in foreign proceedings, such as Dutch courts. He is available as an expert on matters of Nigerian law before foreign courts and as an academic consultant in relation to all aspects of international civil litigation.

Teaching

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

Postgraduate supervision

Commercial Conflict of Laws and International Commercial Litigation


Find out more - our PhD Law  page has information about doctoral research at the University Âé¶¹¾«Ñ¡.

Research

My research is focused on conflict of laws with a special focus on global comparative perspectives, international commercial litigation in Nigeria, Africa, United Kingdom, and the European Union. 

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Okoli, C & Oppong, R 2024, '', The Rabel Journal of Comparative and International Private Law, vol. 88, no. 4, pp. 694-733.

Okoli, C & Yekini, A 2024, '', Journal of Private International Law, vol. 19 , no. 3, pp. 321 - 361.

Okoli, C 2024, '', Uniform Law Review, vol. 28, no. 2, unad016, pp. 197 - 225.

Okoli, C, Yekini, A & Oamen, P 2023, '', African Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 396-415.

Okoli, C 2021, '', Nederlands Internationaal Privaatrecht, vol. 2021, no. 2, pp. 292-305.

Chapter

Yekini, A & Okoli, C 2024, . in X Kramer & LC Piñeiro (eds), Research Methods in Private International Law: A Handbook on Regulation, Research and Teaching. Handbooks of Research Methods in Law series, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham. <>

Yekini, A & Okoli, C 2023, . 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. <>

Okoli, C 2023, . in A Bonomi, I Pretelli & GP Romano (eds), Yearbook of Private International Law Vol. XXIV - 2022/2023. 1 edn, Yearbook of Private International Law, vol. XXIV, Otto Schmidt/De Gruyter european law pub, Köln, pp. 443-454.

Okoli, C 2023, . in Commercial Private International Law in Southern Africa – International and Comparative Perspectives: Essays in Honour of Prof Christopher F Forsyth KC. Eleven International Publishing, The Hague.

Lazic, V & Okoli, C 2022, . 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.

Book/Film/Article review

Okoli, C 2024, '', International & Comparative Law Quarterly, vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 281-283.

Okoli, C 2023, '', Asian Journal of International Law.

Comment/debate

Okoli, C 2022, '', African Journal of International and Comparative Law, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 124-128.

Other contribution

Okoli, C 2023, . Revue critique de droit international privé.

Review article

Okoli, C 2023, '', Journal of Private International Law, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 522-541.