I was delighted to welcome Professor Andrew Chukwuemerie to the EVA Show. He is a  lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).  SAN is a title that may be conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten (10) years of standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession. It is the equivalent of the rank of Queen's Counsel in the United Kingdom. He is a Professor of Law at Rivers State University and a Partner in the law firm of Okibe Lawhouse (Legal Practitioners & Arbitrators), Port Harcourt, Nigeria. 

Before becoming a law lecturer, Prof. Chukwuemerie had been a private practitioner since his call to the Bar in 1989. He renders services to individuals, firms and companies in various sectors of the Nigerian and foreign economies, such as Oil and Gas, Shipping, Banking and Finance, Manufacturing, Construction, General Commerce and General Services. 

Prof Andrew also renders Company Secretarial Services under the sister secretarial firms Central Nominees Limited and GE & P Nominees Limited and now under that of Okibe Lawhouse. These include the attendance of Company Board and General Meetings and the taking of minutes of those meetings, filing of documents and making of appropriate returns to the government and its agencies etc.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK and the author of five well-received law practitioners’ textbooks and about Sixty (60)  articles published mostly in international learned journals of the highest repute and standing in their different areas of law. He is also the author of about Fifteen (15) chapters in other books and liber amicirum across the continents. He has presented some thirty- seven (37) conference papers in different continents as well.

*Prof wears many hats, so I have left the Link to his profile below: 

https://africanarbitrationatlas.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ANDREW-CHUKWUEMERIE-CV.pdf

In this episode, we analysed the following questions:

 1) How far has ADR enhanced access to Justice in Nigeria?

2) Is there any measurable difference or impact on the Cost and Time Frame for settling disputes under ADR Compared to litigation?  

3) Are employees or workers aware of ADR options regarding disputes or conflicts that might arise at the workplace?

4) To what extent are employees encouraged to use ADR to settle discrimination, bullying and harassment in the workplace-Nigeria is the given context?

5) Why is ADR more prevalent or popular in the more complex societies (in this context UK) than in the less complex societies (Nigeria)?

6) What is the way forward for mass advocacy or awareness of the benefits of utilising ADR in settling disputes or conflicts in the workplace?

7) Can Conflict or disputes at the workplace be prevented or avoided?

8) What type of mediation is best suited for workplace conflict?

9) What are the benefits of using Mediation to settle workplace conflicts?

10) What are the disadvantages of using Mediation to settle workplace conflicts?

11) Is there any difference between Mediation and Conciliation?

12) What is your advice for people pursuing a career in ADR?

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBVpPSj0RS0