Biography: Arbitration

Funke was made managing partner and head of the dispute resolution practice group at AELEX in 2004. AELEX is a full service law firm with offices in Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Abuja and Accra, Ghana.

With over 30 years of experience in commercial litigation and corporate dispute resolution, Funke has acted either as sole or party appointed arbitrator or arbitration counsel in numerous arbitrations, both domestic and international for major local and international corporations in matters ranging from straightforward commercial disputes to complex construction and energy industry disputes. She also assists and advises offshore counsel in foreign arbitration proceedings on issues of Nigerian law.

Funke is listed on various panels, including those of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) Energy Arbitrators List, and London Court of International Arbitration African Users Council.

Funke has been made a chartered arbitrator by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London. She was appointed as the first vice chairman of the Nigerian branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in June 2009 and has been a member of the Body of Benchers since April 1999. Within the International Bar Association (IBA) Funke belongs to the legal practice division (arbitration committee and section on energy and natural resources law), the public and professional interest division (law firm management committee) and is also an advisory board member of the IBA's African regional forum as well as an officer of its bar issues commission. Funke is a life member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).

She holds an LLM from the Harvard Law School (1977).

Biography: Insolvency & Restructuring

Funke heads the dispute resolution practice group at AELEX. AELEX is a full-service law firm with offices in Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Abuja and Accra, Ghana.

With over 35 years' experience in commercial litigation and corporate dispute resolution, she leads a team that advise clients extensively in the area of commercial and corporate litigation as well as business insolvency and reorganisation. Funke also appears before the High Courts and appellate courts in which capacity she represents both Nigerian-based and offshore clients.

In the arbitration arena, Funke has acted either as sole or party appointed arbitrator or arbitration counsel in numerous arbitrations, both domestic and international for major local and international corporations in matters ranging from straightforward commercial disputes to complex construction and energy industry disputes. She also assists and advises offshore counsel in foreign arbitration proceedings on issues of Nigerian law.

Funke is listed on various panels, including those of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) Energy Arbitrators List, the London Court of International Arbitration African Users Council, the Lagos Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration and the panel of neutrals of both the Lagos Multi-door Court House and the Nigerian Communications Commission.

Funke is a Fellow and has achieved chartered arbitrator status at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London and is currently the chairman of its Nigerian branch. She is also a board member of the Lagos Court of Arbitration.

Within the International Bar Association (IBA), Funke belongs to the legal practice division (arbitration committee and section on energy and natural resources law), the public and professional interest division (law firm management committee) and is also an advisory board member of the IBA's African regional forum as well as an officer of its bar issues commission. Funke is a life member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers.

She holds an LLM from the Harvard Law School (1977).

Biography: Commercial Litigation

Funke heads the dispute resolution practice group at AELEX. AELEX is a full-service law firm with offices in Lagos, Port-Harcourt and Abuja, and Accra, Ghana.

She has over 35 years' experience in commercial litigation and corporate dispute resolution, having qualified in 1975 before obtaining an LLM from Harvard Law School in 1977. Funke became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2001 and is also qualified to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Funke leads a team that advise clients extensively in the area of commercial and corporate litigation as well as business insolvency and reorganisation. She is one of the lead defence counsel in the first ever health care recoupment costs suits brought by federal and state governments against tobacco manufacturers; successfully represented an oil exploration company in a case which determined the applicability of valued added tax to energy sector transactions, and regularly represents both Nigerian-based and offshore clients in shareholder and tax assessment disputes in the courts and before tax tribunals.

In recognition of her commercial litigation expertise, Funke has recently been appointed to the legal committee of Nigeria's National Council on Privatisation, charged with reviewing enforceability issues in requisite divestment documentation.

In addition to her litigation practice, Funke is a chartered arbitrator and is currently the chairman of the Nigerian branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London. She is listed on various domestic and international arbitrator panels and is also a board member of the Lagos Court of Arbitration.

She also assists and advises offshore counsel in foreign arbitration proceedings on issues of Nigerian law.