Emmanuel Chambers, the law firm of legal icon and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Afe Babalola, has announced the opening of its new Lagos office as part of a strategic expansion to strengthen its national footprint.
The launch, held in Lagos recently under the theme “Expanding Our Reach, Deepening Our Commitment,” marks a significant milestone in the firm’s nearly six-decade history and reinforces its mission to provide timely, ethical, and accessible legal services in the country’s commercial capital.
Founded in 1965 by Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, Emmanuel Chambers has grown from a small practice in Ibadan into Nigeria’s leading dispute resolution law firm with offices in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and now Lagos.
For nearly six decades, the firm has trained and mentored generations of lawyers, many of whom have risen to become Senior Advocates of Nigeria, judges, and senior public officers.
Today, the firm represents clients across a wide range of sectors— including energy and natural resources, financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, shipping and maritime, and aviation—anchored in its enduring human rights philosophy and a reputation for landmark victories.
Speaking at the unveiling, Mr. Tunde Babalola, SAN, the Managing Partner (Lagos), highlighted the strategic importance of establishing a presence in Nigeria’s commercial hub and reaffirmed the firm’s commitment to providing timely, ethical, and world-class legal services. “Lagos is not just Nigeria’s commercial capital, it is also the crossroads where business, finance and law converge.
Our vision for the new Lagos office is not just a physical presence in Ikoyi; it is to be a center of excellence where legal innovation meets practical solutions. “We intend to serve not only as advocates in the courtroom, but as trusted advisors in boardrooms, arbitration halls and across every space where law shapes enterprise and progress”, Babalola said.
He listed the guiding philosophy that will shape the firm’s practice in Lagos to include client-centered practice, collaboration, not competition, as well as excellence with Integrity. Also commenting on the new office, Honourable Justice Rhodes Vivour, JSC (Rtd), emphasized the firm’s legacy of excellence and its vision for the future of legal practice in Nigeria and beyond.
He noted: “This occasion was far more than the mere expansion of a law practice, it was the extension of a vision, a testament to perseverance, and a bold step forward in the pursuit of justice and excellence by Chief Afe Babalola SAN, one of Nigeria’s great legal practitioners.” The ceremony was attended by distinguished members of the Bench and Bar, captains of industry, clients, alumni of Emmanuel Chambers, and well-wishers.
Notable attendees included Hon. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, JSC (Rtd.), jurist and former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; The Chief Judge Of Ogun State, Hon Justice Dipeolu, The Chairman of NBA Lagos Branch, Mrs. Uchenna Akingbade, Mr. Ebun Sofunde, SAN, Co-Founder of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe & Belgore; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN, The Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr. Lawal Pedro SAN, among others.
