Background Prof. Yemi Osinbajo was educated at the University of Lagos, Nigeria (LLB, 1978) and the London School of Economics (LLM, 1980).
He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1979. He has authored several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts, rules of evidence and justice reform. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has more than 33 years of litigation experience including significant trial and appellate work.
He was appointed Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in 1999 and reappointed for a second term in 2003.
During the period of his public service, he commenced the Lagos State justice reform project. A prominent feature of that project was the establishment of the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights (DCR) which provides free legal services and legal representation to indigent citizens of the state. This initiative gave a voice to many who would otherwise not have a way to access their rights.
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He is the senior partner at SimmonsCooper Partners. He supervises the commercial litigation group at SimmonsCooper Partners (SCP), a leading commercial litigation and corporate commercial firm in Nigeria.