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Chris Ogunbanjo LP elevates Williams Bello to Managing Associate for his ‘exemplary’ leadership, among other promotions
Established in 1960 by a Nigerian legal icon, Chris Ogunbanjo LP is an innovative commercial law firm with offices in Lagos and Abuja. To kickstart 2026, it has promoted four team members for their dedication, delivery, and positive contributions to the firm
Highly skilled dispute resolution lawyer Williams Bellow has been promoted to Managing Associate at Chris Ogunbanjo LP, in recognition of his “exemplary team leadership, top-notch service delivery, strong client representation, and consistently high-quality work over the years,” said the innovative Nigerian commercial law firm.
A law graduate of the University of Ibadan, Williams joined Chris Ogunbanjo LP in early 2020, after several years in practice at other Nigerian firms, and has spent the past four years as a Senior Associate at Chris Ogunbanjo LP. Described as a “key member” of the firm’s Dispute Resolution practice, in November 2025 Williams was also inducted as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, in Lagos,
Williams has advised secured and unsecured creditors, debtors, companies, liquidators, receivers and receiver managers in insolvency related matters supervised by the Nigerian superior courts. He has also represented clients’ before arbitral panels and rendered legal opinions in labour and employment matters.
Williams is one of four internal promotions at Chris Ogunbanjo LP to begin 2026.
Bababode Adesoji and Peter-Cole Onele have both been promoted to Senior Associate, in acknowledgement of their respective commitment, high potential, excellence in client engagement, and growing thought leadership within the firm.
Bababode, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, is part of the firm’s Litigation and ADR practice, bringing extensive experience in representing domestic and international clients at Nigerian courts and ADR fora, across various areas of law. Peter-Cole is Team Lead in the Corporate and Commercial unit of Chris Ogunbanjo LP, where “he delivers innovative legal solutions and thought leadership at the nexus of corporate and commercial law advisory, finance, and technology”.
Bababode and Peter have been promoted from associate to Senior Associate in acknowledgement of “their respective commitment, high potential, excellence in client engagement, and growing thought leadership”, says the firm, which was established in 1960, the year of Nigerian independence, by legal icon, Chief Christopher Ogunbanjo, and was the country’s first indigenous commercial law firm.
The firm has also announced the promotion, effective this month, of Adedamola Odubanjo from junior associate to associate, in recognition of “his strong work ethic, reliability, budding leadership capacity, and commendable client service”.
Adedamola is part of the firm’s Corporate and Commercial practice group, specialising in general commercial transactions, corporate finance, M&A and restructuring, intellectual property, real estate, technology, and sports advisory.
“On behalf of the management team and the entire firm, we congratulate each of them and wish them greater milestones and more incredible growth,” said the firm.