Senior Advocate of Nigeria · Chartered Arbitrator

Joe-Kyari Gadzama

OFR, SAN, Life Bencher, FCIArb, C.Arb.

Founding Principal Partner of J-K Gadzama LLP. Four decades at the Nigerian Bar, resolving complex commercial disputes through arbitration, mediation and advocacy of the highest order.

Arbitration & ADR CV Contact

Called to the Bar 1986Senior Advocate of Nigeria 1998Chartered Arbitrator (C.Arb.) · FCIArbNational Leader in Arbitration, Who's Who LegalBand One, Chambers & Partners500 Leading Lawyers Worldwide · ICFMFounder & Chair, JICAM · AbujaImmediate Past Chair, CIArb Abuja ChapterLife Bencher, Body of BenchersOFR · MFR National HonoursFellow, FICMC · Member, AAAChancellor, Newgate University, MinnaThomas Sankara Pan-African Prize 2024DiplCArb, Keble College, OxfordCalled to the Bar 1986Senior Advocate of Nigeria 1998Chartered Arbitrator (C.Arb.) · FCIArbNational Leader in Arbitration, Who's Who LegalBand One, Chambers & Partners500 Leading Lawyers Worldwide · ICFMFounder & Chair, JICAM · AbujaImmediate Past Chair, CIArb Abuja ChapterLife Bencher, Body of BenchersOFR · MFR National HonoursFellow, FICMC · Member, AAAChancellor, Newgate University, MinnaThomas Sankara Pan-African Prize 2024DiplCArb, Keble College, Oxford

The Practitioner

40+

years at the Nigerian Bar

Called to Bar

1986

SAN Elevation

1998

A practitioner's authority across the full spectrum of dispute resolution.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1986 and elevated to Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1998, Chief Gadzama has advised governments, multinational corporations and leading institutions. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and one of the few Chartered Arbitrators in Nigeria, he chairs the Board of Trustees of JICAM and is recognised on Who's Who Legal as an arbitration expert.

Read full profile

Senior Advocate of Nigeria

Ceremonial Robes

Areas of Authority

Four decades of counsel

General CV

Arbitration & Mediation

Chartered Arbitrator and certified mediator; domestic and cross-border ADR including institutional and ad-hoc proceedings.

Dispute Resolution & Litigation

Landmark matters before Nigerian superior courts and foreign jurisdictions across four decades of advocacy.

Election Petitions

Lead counsel to INEC and major political parties in nationally significant electoral disputes.

Corporate & Regulatory Counsel

Adviser to banks, multinationals and government institutions; SEC-registered capital market consultant.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

JICAM

The Janada International Centre for Arbitration and Mediation, established 2015, is a leading neutral venue for domestic and international commercial disputes. Chief J-K Gadzama, SAN serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees; since 2022 the Centre has also served as a training hub for ADR professionals.

Visit JICAM Arbitration CV