Prince Nwafuru is a graduate of Ebonyi State University and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2012. He is currently studying for his Masters Degree (Secured Credit/Energy/Maritime and Laws of International Institutions) at the University of Lagos. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom and also an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators of Nigeria.
Before co-founding The Law Suite, Prince was a Senior Associate and Sector Head, Arbitration and Capital Market Disputes at a top commercial law firm in Lagos, Nigeria where he doubled as the Deputy Leader of the Firm’s Financial Services, Corporate Services and Taxation Practice Group.
An astute and resourceful legal practitioner, with vast experience in commercial disputes and transactions, he has represented and advised local and international clients on a wide range of non-exhaustive practice areas such as arbitration, commercial disputes, debt recovery, intellectual property, financial services, capital market, energy & solid minerals, employment disputes, maritime & international trades, investment disputes, real estate, taxation, data & privacy disputes amongst others. Prince has garnered a significant experience in election petitions and political disputes having represented a major political party in Nigeria and State Governors, Senators and Law makers at the Election Petition Tribunals and various Courts up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Prince equally has experience in white collar and corporate crime defence having advised and represented defendants in Courts and at the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.
He has also advised entities in Media, Entertainment and Creative entities, SMEs, and Startups on how to build legally protected businesses especially in the areas of business formation, intellectual property, employment relations, taxation, and regulatory compliance. As a tech enthusiast, Prince is a Member (Expert Category) of the Stakeholders in Blockchain Technology Association of Nigeria (SIBAN) and is currently advising a number of tech startups on transactions relating to investments, blockchain, cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), etc.
With the coming into force of the treaty establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Prince has been advocating for the implementation of the free trade agreement to drive industrialization through value-chain creation and economic development in Africa. He worked with one of the Committees in Nigeria tasked with coordinating inputs on the AfCFTA Phase I Negotiations in 5 priority service sectors including legal services. Prince is a founder of the AfCFTA Legal Network, a network of lawyers and business leaders and professionals across the African countries and in diaspora.
Prince is a Board Secretary and Governance at the Pitch Coach for Africa, a non-profit located in Silicon Valley, California USA, with the mission to help African Entrepreneurs, Startups and Founders with their pitching to investors.
Prince has participated as a panelist, resource person and speaker in many local and international events cutting across diverse topics such as investment disputes and arbitration, legal requirements for doing business in Nigeria, capital market disputes, startups, blockchain, crypto currency regulation, dispute settlement mechanism under the AfCFTA amongst other diverse topics bordering on his practice areas. He has written a number of articles for both Nigerian and foreign publications. Prince is a columnist for Nairametrics, a leading financial information digital newspaper based in Lagos, Nigeria and writes regularly on the AfCFTA.
Few of His Articles and Writeups
- The Need for Effective Mechanism for Resolution of Capital Market Disputes in Nigeria published in Issue No. 6 2021 of the Capital Market Solicitors Association of Nigeria (CMSA)’s Newsletter.
- Co-authored the Exclusive Nigeria Chapter to the Global Legal Insights, (Litigation & Dispute Resolution, 2019, 8th Edition) published in 2019 by Global Legal Group Ltd, London.
- Was featured as Thisday Newspaper Legal Personality of the Week for the week of 27 May 2019 – published on 28 May 2019 where he discussed the broad issues affecting legal practice such as disruption by Artificial Intelligence and Technology and the need for value-added legal services in the 21st Century Legal Market.
- Arrest of Ship in Nigeria: Different Perspectives and the Scope of Maritime Claim (published in UNILAG Law Review, Vol. 4 No. 1, (2020)
- Arrest of Vessel and In Rem Action in Nigeria: Contemporary Issues (published in Lawyard Quarterly Journal, Vol. 2 Issue 1, (2020)
- Understanding the New Par Value Rules of the Nigerian Stock Exchange – published in UNILAG Law Review, Print Edition – Volume 2 Edition 2.
- How Companies Can Benefit from the Introduction of Exchange Traded Derivatives to the Nigerian Capital Market. (one of the top ten essays selected across Nigeria. With this essay, Prince won a Scholarship to attend the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s Training on “Legal and Risk Aspects of Derivatives and Central Counterparty and Clearing Transactions held in November 2017 in Lagos).
Professional Membership/Certifications
- Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom
- Associate, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, Nigeria
- Member, Capital Market Solicitors Association
- Member, Nigerian Maritime Law Association
- Member, Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law
- Member, Nigerian Bar Association
- Member (Expert Category), Stakeholders in Blockchain Association of Nigeria
- Founder, AFCFTA Legal Network
Hobbies: Prince loves Swimming and public speaking.