Professor Foluke Dada-Lawanson is a distinguished Professor of Law with over three decades of experience in academia and legal practice. She has practiced in the area of Human Rights, Gender Rights and Technology, demonstrating her commitment to the intersection of law and emerging technologies.
Education and Academic Achievements
Professor Dada-Lawanson’s academic credentials include a Doctor of Juridical Science (Health Law & Policy), a Master of Laws (LL.M) from Loyola University, Chicago (USA), a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B) from Obafemi Awolowo University (Ile-Ife) and a Barrister-at-Law from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos. She also holds a Certificate in Management Studies from Lewisham College, London (UK) and several certifications and training courses in Information Technology. Her academic pursuits are driven by a deep passion for legal excellence and the advancement of human rights and the rule of law.
Professional Training and Certifications
Professor Dada-Lawanson’s commitment to professional development is evident in her numerous professional certifications. She is a Chartered Arbitrator (MCArb), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Mediators and Conciliators (FICMC), a Fellow of the Forensic Investigators Society of Nigeria, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Consultants (FMC). She is also a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (MNIM), a Member of the Society for Corporate Governance (MSCGN), and an Associate of the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners of Nigeria (ABR) among others.
Professional Experience and Leadership
Professor Dada-Lawanson has extensive experience teaching international arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, mentoring numerous students in these fields. As the Dean of the College of Law at Caleb University, Magodo, Lagos, she has secured local and international grants, actively supported the Law Clinic through moot and mock trial competitions in client counseling and mediation, and spearheaded initiatives such as the development of a Human Rights & Technology Center. In this role, she coordinated the drafting of memoranda of understanding with various collaborators and promoted community lawyering and legal drafting for commercial contracts and service agreements. She has undertaken research and training in diverse areas of gender and human rights, environmental law and organizational management.
A dedicated member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Professor Dada-Lawanson currently serves as the Alternate Chair for the Lagos Bar Journal (2020-2025). Her past service at the Bar includes roles as Vice-Chairman (2012-2014) and Chair of the NBA Ado-Ekiti Branch (2016-2018), Second Vice President of the NBA (2018-2020), and Council member of the NBA Women’s Forum (2019-2021). She led the Forum’s Advocacy Committee (2018-2022) and remains an active member. She chairs the 2025 Law Week Committee of the International Federation of Women Lawyers and currently chairs the Lawyers in Academia Forum of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Beyond academia and professional associations, Professor Dada-Lawanson is the Founding Partner of Victorian District Law Attorneys and the Founder & President of Tikvah Initiatives for Women & Children, a registered NGO in Nigeria.
Areas of Expertise and Community Engagement
Professor Dada-Lawanson is a respected author and recognized for her expertise in arbitration, managing discovery, due diligence searches, and mediation. Her research interests encompass a wide range of legal fields, including human rights, Law & Technology, Family Law, Gender Rights, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. She has supervised numerous theses and served as external examiner for doctoral dissertations. A strong advocate for community development, she is a grassroots mobilizer and a cultural connoisseur.
This year’s AWLA Nigeria Parley will hold on the 27th of August, 2025 at Villa Toscana Hotel Event Centre, No 1 Aguleri Street, Independent Layout, Enugu by 110am.
The theme for 2025 AWLA Nigeria Parley is “Unleash Your Inner Hero, Strategize, Overcome, Evolve”.
