Woman Crush Wednesday: Tolu Olaloye

Our Woman Crush Wednesday, Tolu Olaloye is one remarkable lawyer. She is a seasoned intellectual property (IP) practitioner and consultant with over a decade of practice, as well as expertise across 50 jurisdictions in Africa.

Tolu currently works at a leading commercial law firm in Nigeria, Jackson, Etti & Edu, where she serves as both a Senior Associate in the Intellectual Property and Regulatory & Compliance Practices and the Deputy Head of the firm’s Financial Services Sector. She has worked with leading brands, multinationals, and innovators, advising on critical issues on IP prosecution, licensing, co-existence agreements, brand protection, and regulatory compliance, among others. Her track record of excellence has helped Tolu cement formidable relationships with her clients.

As a policy and programme consultant, she is a member of the Law Week Planning Committee of the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) Programming Advisory Council; and the Subcommittee Chair for Middle East, Africa and South Asia of INTA’s Unreal Campaign Committee where she spearheads creating awareness of the dangers of counterfeits to young consumers and families. Tolu is also an active member of the technical working group for establishing geographical indication in Nigeria.

This year, Tolu was named as a Leader in World IP Review. She was also recently given the ESQ 40-Under-40 Nigerian Rising Star Award and the Lagos Youth Award. Tolu has an LLB degree from the University of Ibadan, and was called to the Nigerian Bar after completing her studies at the Nigerian Law School. In her pursuit of personal development, she obtained a Master of Laws degree from the University of Lagos, and a certification in Intellectual Property, International Taxation and Business Communication from the University of Oxford. She is an ardent scholar and has authored multiple publications in reputable journals, locally and internationally, and is a member of several esteemed professional organisations including the NBA, the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, and the Intellectual Property Lawyers Association of Nigeria (IPLAN), where she has served as Programme Coordinator.

Under the platform of the NBA Women Forum, Tolu empowers, inspires and guides female lawyers to success. She has executed several IP CSR programmes on behalf of Jackson, Etti & Edu in various IP clubs across Nigerian universities, and pioneered the firm’s Technology Start-Up Initiative which offers bespoke services to budding entrepreneurs. She also works with IP organisations such as IPLAN, WIPO Nigeria and INTA on programmes geared towards achieving sustainable development. Outside work, she devotes her time to her two children, and finds some time to watch movies. We could not have asked for a better Woman Crush than Tolu Olaloye who is a big inspiration to every other woman.