Babajide Ogundipe was called to the Nigeria Bar in July 1979. He co-founded Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgorein 1988, and the firm quickly became one the leading law firms in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria. He practices primarily as a commercial litigator and, as part of this practice, he has been required, since 1980, to conduct investigations into various different types of fraud and other misconduct on behalf of clients in the banking, insurance, petroleum, pharmaceutical and shipping industries. He has also acted on behalf of numerous clients to assist in the recovery of assets lost as a result of fraud and other misfeasance, most significantly the former majority shareholders of Banco Noroeste S.A., following that bank’s acquisition by Banco Santander Brasil. He has enormous experience acting for the victims of fraud, and has come to be recognised as one of Nigeria’s leading lawyers in the asset recovery field. He is a frequent speaker on arbitration, anti-corruption and asset recovery issues and on the regulation of the legal profession at international conferences and has served as an officer of the International Bar Association’s Anti-Corruption Committee and Vice-Chair for Africa on the IBA’s Regulation of Lawyers” Compliance Committee.

Arthur Cox is one of Ireland’s leading law firms. For 100 years, we have led the way in the legal field in Ireland. We are an “all-island” firm, with offices in Dublin and Belfast. We also have offices in London, New York and San Francisco.

With over 550 legal staff and a total headcount of over 800, we provide a comprehensive service to an international client base ranging from multinational organisations, banks and financial institutions and established global leaders to government agencies and new players in emerging industry sectors.

In recognition of our standing in the market Arthur Cox was named Ireland Law Firm of the Year 2020 at the Chambers Europe Awards. We were also named Ireland Law Firm of the Year 2020 at the IFLR Europe Awards.

Joanelle O’Cleirigh is a Partner in the Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Investigation Group at Arthur Cox. Joanelle has over twenty years experience in various litigious commercial matters and has an expertise in investigations and inquiries, fraud inquiries and cases, white collar crime matters, search warrants, cyber security issues and fraud and asset recovery cases.

Joanelle has advised many key clients in relation to national and global litigation concerning fraud and conspiracy allegations including obtaining mareva injunctions and other necessary interim relief to protect clients interests. She has conducted significant investigations for clients into alleged fraudulent activities and advised many clients on compliance issues including bribery and anti-corruption.

More recently she has advised clients in relation to COVID-19 related fraud and is a lead advisor of key clients in relation to their crisis management and reporting obligations.

Joanelle also has unrivalled expertise in investigations (statutory and non-statutory) and has advised clients both in the private and public sectors on crisis and incident management, reporting obligations, reviews and investigations. She has been involved in some of Ireland’s most significant Commissions of Investigations, Tribunals, Inquiries and hearings for example:

• The matter of the Commission of the Investigation Act 2004 and the Commission of Investigation (Irish Bank Resolution Corporation) Act 2014

• The Tribunal of Inquiry into protected disclosures made under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and certain other matters following Resolutions passed by Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament) and Seanad Éireann (Senate) on 16 February 2017

• The Tribunal of Inquiry into the Infection with HIV and Hepatitis C of Persons with Haemophilia

• The Dunne Post Mortem Organ Retention Inquiry

• The Lourdes Hospital Inquiry into Peripartum Hysterectomies

• The Commission of Investigation into the Death of Gary Douch

• The Commission to Investigate in the Dublin Diocese

• The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse

• Review of action taken by An Garda Síochána relating to certain allegations made by Sergeant Maurice McCabe

• Independent Inquiry into Reports of Unlawful Surveillance of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission

• The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes

Joanelle is a lead partner in the Arthur Cox White Collar / Corporate Crime and Investigations Group and is the Irish Chapter Leader of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association which she founded in July 2018.

Axel Benjamin Herzberg is an expert in litigating, arbitrating, and collecting claims of all kinds, both nationally and internationally. He primarily handles domestic and international commercial arbitration as well as cross-border commercial litigation matters. He also has vast experience in German as well as in cross-border asset tracing and asset recovery work.

In addition to his work as party’s counsel, Mr Herzberg also frequently acts as arbitrator in international and domestic proceedings (especially ICC and DIS) and, upon nomination of the German National Committee of ICC, has been appointed member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR and of its Task Force on Emergency Arbitrator Proceedings.

Mr Herzberg’s clients come from diverse industries, including
– commerce,
– real estate,
– tech, media and telecommunications,
– NGOs,
– energy,
– life sciences,
– logistics and transportation.

Mr Herzberg studied law at the German universities of Passau, Munich and Freiburg, as well as at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, where he earned the Certificate in Transnational Law. Following his first state exam in Germany in 2006 (ranking among the top 2 %), he served as research assistant at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and subsequently completed his practical training period (Referendariat) with the Supreme Court of Berlin, Germany, earning his second state exam in 2010 (ranking among the top 5 %).

Thereupon, Mr Herzberg was appointed Deputy Counsel at the Secretariat of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France, handling some 80+ international commercial as well as investor-state arbitrations. In 2011, Mr Herzberg assumed a position as associate with the litigation and arbitration group of Baker & McMenzie in Berlin where he handled international dispute matters until 2013. In 2014, Axel Benjamin Herzberg completed the University of London (Queen Mary/UCL) Postgraduate LL.M. programme in International Business Law with “merit”, and launched HERZBERG LEGAL, which merged to BODENHEIMER HERZBERG, of which Mr Herzberg was one of the two founding partners in 2017. The firm now has four partners and 20+ attorneys from six different jurisdictions at two offices (one in Berlin and one in Cologne).

Mr Herzberg is a bar-certified specialist in international business law (FA IWR), a member of the Berlin Bar Committee for Attorneys Specialised in International Business Law. He is also admitted to the roll of solicitors of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.

Mr Herzberg is frequently invited as speaker, lecturer or panelist to conferences and seminars across the world. He is one of the managing editors of the most detailed German-language commentary on the ICC and on the DIS Rules of Arbitration (Nedden/Herzberg/Kopetzki, ICC-SchO / DIS-SchO, 2nd ed., 2022).

Axel Benjamin Herzberg, LL.M.
Rechtsanwalt | Solicitor (England and Wales)
Fachanwalt für Internationales Wirtschaftsrecht
Master of International Business Law (London, Queen Mary/UCL)