Profile description
Razak Atunwa is a seasoned barrister with a rich blend of experience in top-end civil/commercial matters including cases with International dimensions. He has a sound academic background, having obtained his LLB (Hons) (with a first class in International law) and LLM in Public International law (with Distinction in Law of the Sea). He was called to the Bar in England and Wales in 1994.
Areas of Practice
- Civil and Commercial Law
- Contractual and Business Disputes
- Property Law (incl. Landlord & Tenant)
- Arbitration: Domestic and International
- Construction
- Aviation: Regulatory, Advisory and Litigation
Although open to attending other court centres, Razak receives instructions to act for individuals and companies in contractual matters in the High Court and Central London County Court. He also provides comprehensive advice in highly complex civil/commercial matters to assist parties in determining their best cause of action.
Razak is Public Access qualified and has authorisation to conduct litigation. He has appeared in a number of notable and high-profile civil/commercial cases reported in various Law Reports, including:
- Mark v Mark [2005] UKHL 42 [House of Lords] {on Illegality of Stay, Domicile and Habitual Residence. This remains a landmark case and the leading authority on domicile in English law and perhaps the most frequently cited authority in the family courts on the topic in recent times.
- AIC Ltd v Federal Government of Nigeria [2003] EWHC 1357 (QB) {on Sovereign Immunity and Civil Enforcement of Foreign Judgment}. This case is very frequently cited as authority in cases of recognition and enforcement of foreign judgment; procedure for service in enforcement of foreign judgment, and determination of "commercial purposes" of state accounts.
- Murphy Shipping v Burt [2004] All ER (D) 287 {on Worldwide Freezing Injunction}
- Attorney General of Zambia v Meer Care Desai, Chiluba and Others [2005] EWHC 2102 (Ch) {on international confiscation of proceeds of money laundering (former President Chiluba of Zambia)}.
Razak also enriched his experience when he sojourned into politics in Nigeria, rising from various sub-national positions to become a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives (20015 - 2019). In that Parliament, he was the Chairman of the House Committee on Justice. He also Chaired an Ad-hoc Committee which conducted a Parliamentary inquiry into the largest and most complicated scandal in the oil and gas industry: the Malabu Scandal, involving alleged fraud of $1.3billion by Government officials and multinational companies. The two-year long inquiry afforded him significant insight into, and understanding of, the law and practice relating to the oil and gas industry.
Razak was recently instructed (in 2020) by an international oil company to recover multimillion dollars compensation from a state oil corporation. Razak is an aviation enthusiast. He was a leading member of the House Committee on Aviation. His Masters Degree included International Air Law. He spearheaded the establishment of the International Aviation College, Ilorin, which is a foremost aviation training institute in Nigeria. He supervised compliance with all the ICAO regulatory requirements for an Approved Training Organisation (ATO). He was the Alternate Chairman of IAC between 2008 and 2012. He later trained to become a pilot holding both an ICAO licence issued in Nigeria and an EASA licence issued in the United Kingdom.
He covers regulatory compliance, advisory and litigation in the aviation field. Bar Associations & Memberships Member Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
