Odinaka Akpamgbo

Odinaka is a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Law candidate at Lincoln College, supervised by Professor Freya Baetens. Odinaka’s research investigates the impact of corruption allegations on international investment arbitration procedure, including jurisdiction, admissibility, and enforcement. His research analyses arbitral jurisprudence, old and new, to discern and distil a coherent pattern of practice on the question. The DPhil project is funded by the Faculty of Law. 

Prior to commencing the DPhil, Odinaka completed the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) at the Faculty of Law with Distinction and as a member of Regent’s Park College, taking key public international law options. Odinaka’s BCL studies were fully funded by the Mastercard Foundation AfOx Scholarship and the Faculty of Law-Regent’s Park Scholarship. Before Oxford, Odinaka obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology with First Class Honours, and as the salutatorian, winning multiple course prizes. Odinaka also graduated with a licentiate degree from the Nigerian Law School with First Class Honours and two prizes, including the Prince Bola Ajibola, KBE, SAN, Prize in Civil Litigation, ranking top 0.2% of 6,000 students nationally. He has published articles and contributions in various journals. 

Odinaka gained years of experience as a lawyer in Templars, advising and acting for multinational corporations and State entities in high-stakes commercial and public interest disputes, including contractual claims, international investment claims, oil spill, gas flaring, and general environmental pollution claims, group litigation, and claims arising from oil and gas operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Odinaka currently supports the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat at Marlborough House, London, on international law issues within its remit.