Steve is a Partner and leads the Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution & Employment and Labour Practice Groups while heading the Firm’s Sports, Entertainment & Lesiure Practice Group. He’s renowned by his colleagues and peers for his profound knowledge of the law and his consistent capacity to excel in high-profile cases throughout his career. 

Steve brings extensive experience in corporate and commercial dispute resolution across Nigeria. His expertise spans the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, banking law, intracompany shareholder disputes, as well as insolvency and insurance litigation. He’s successfully argued cases before Nigeria’s highest appellate courts, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. He also has extensive experience in both domestic and international commercial arbitration and has demonstrated competence in maritime litigation, representing midstream energy companies in negotiating complex agreements such as voyage and time charters, contracts of affreightment, sub-freight agreements, and crude oil sales shipping terms. He also assists in developing general terms and conditions for marine terminals. 

Beyond these core areas, Steve has cultivated competence in various specialized fields including Corporate Practice, Chieftaincy, Election Petition and Intellectual Property. He has, however, made significant inroads into the Sports, Entertainment and Leisure space recently. 

Selected Experience

1. Part of the legal team for an IOC in resolving a dispute regarding gas entrainment with another IOC. 

2. Played a pivotal role in a major arbitration involving a state-owned oil corporation concerning an IOC’s claim for recovery of Operating Costs. 

3. Part of the legal team defending the interest of the state-owned oil corporation in a dispute involving an alleged breach of a Production Sharing Contract

4. Contributed to drafting a bespoke dispute resolution framework for commercial and technical sports disputes in Nigeria, under the auspices of the Sports Industry Thematic Group (SITG) and Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG)

5. Part of the legal team that drafted the National Sports Industry Policy in 2020, an initiative of the NESG and the Nigerian Sports Ministry. 

6. Provided legal advisory to an ex-Nigerian international on an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Switzerland concerning a life ban imposed by the FIFA Ethics Committee. 

7. Represented a Nigerian National League (NNL) Football Club in disciplinary proceedings and appeals against the Nigeria National League and Osun United Football Club. 

8. Represented an NNL football team in three employment law disputes before the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber in Switzerland, regarding termination for just cause involving ex-coaching staff and an ex-player. 

9. Provided legal advisory to an NPFL team on a disciplinary proceeding initiated by the League Management Company of Nigeria. 

10. Offered *ex gratia* legal advisory to a UK-based consortium on the modalities and legal framework for setting up a football academy in Nigeria. 

11. Serves as a legal representative to several notable football academies in Lagos, Nigeria. 

12. Provides legal advisory and representation to numerous licensed football intermediaries/agents. 

Education 

BL (2009) – Nigerian Law School 

LL.B (Hons) (2008) – University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Memberships

Nigerian Bar Association 

International Bar Association (IBA) 

a. Maritime and Transport Committee 

b. Litigation Committee 

c. Arbitration Committee 

Sports Law Committee Officer (2019-2021) 

Leisure Industries Section Officer (2019-2021) 

Law-in-Sport (International Association of Sports Lawyers) 

Publications 

Steve has authored and co-authored insightful articles on diverse areas of law, particularly in sports law. 

1. Adeleke v INEC: Discordant Judicial Tunes and the dark clouds of technical justice in Nigeria’s election jurisprudence I [https://thenigerialawyer.com/adeleke-v-inec-discordant-judicial-tunes-and-the-darkclouds-of-technical-justice-in-nigerias-election-jurisprudence-by-steve-austin-nwabueze/ 

2. Revisiting The Hyperandrogenism Conundrum: A Review of the CAS Decisions In Dutee Chand v AFI & IAAF and Caster Semenya v IAAF I https://thenigerialawyer.com/revisiting-thehyperandrogenism-conundrum-a-review-of-the-cas-decisions-in-dutee-chand-v-afi-iaaf-and-castersemenya-v-iaaf-by-steve-austin-nwabueze/

3. The right to use images of athletes for commercial purposes: gold mine or undermined I https://headlines.ng/the-right-to-use-images-of-athletes-for-commercial-purposes-goldmine-or-undermined/](https://headlines.ng/the-right-to-use-images-of-athletes-for-commercial-purposes-goldmine-or-undermined/

4. From Bosman to Perchstein – The Finality of the Arbitral Awards of the Court of Arbitration for Sports Examined I [https://www.mondaq.com/nigeria/sport/652698/from-bosman-to-perchstein-the-finalityof-the-arbitral-awards-of-the-court-of-arbitration-for-sports-examined]

5. Needles & Stitches: Understanding the Nigerian Intellectual Property Rights in Fashion Law.

6. Samson Siasia and the integrity of football: an application of the deterrence theory of criminal jurisprudence taken too far?” * [https://www.completesports.com/siasia-and-integrity-of-football-.completesports/application-of-deterrence-theory-of-criminal-jurisprudence-taken-too-far/]

7. Samson Siasia: the balancing act task before the court of arbitration for sports and the question of proportional penalty I [https://www.completesports.com/samson-siasia-the-balancing-act-task-before-.completesports/the-court-of-arbitration-for-sports-and-the-question-of-proportional-penalty/