Volunteer Spotlight: Busola Bakinson

Busola Bakinson, Olaniwun Ajayi LP (Lagos, Nigeria)

For Busola Bakinson, the legal profession is a calling. Ms. Bakinson joined Olaniwun Ajayi LP in Lagos, Nigeria, as senior associate and team lead, intellectual property, this past January because of the firm’s versatility and international outlook. These features give Ms. Bakinson a platform for achieving her personal objectives as well as her goals for trademark reform in Nigeria.

The goals are lofty, but after speaking with Ms. Bakinson for only a few minutes, one does not doubt her passion and her ability to achieve them.

Practicing since 2011, Ms. Bakinson ranks modernization and reform of the trademark laws (and intellectual property (IP) laws generally) in Nigeria high on both her to-do list and on the list of major issues in trademark law today.

She has met with the speaker in Nigeria’s House of Representatives in an effort to form a caucus around IP issues, and, together with INTA, sent him a proposal . While lawmakers may not be naturally drawn to the subject of trademark law, her continuous drive helps to raise awareness among politicians and cultivate their interest in it.

This is not the only way Ms. Bakinson has contributed to the practice of trademark law in Nigeria. She has participated in INTA’s training of officials at Nigeria’s trademark office.

Ms. Bakinson has undertaken many other efforts as an INTA volunteer since she joined the organization approximately seven years ago. She has contributed to Fact Sheets and currently serves on the Data Protection Committee. Additionally, INTA has been a source of new professional and personal contacts. She has made friends around the world while volunteering for INTA.

A conversation with Ms. Bakinson leaves one with the impression that she has boundless energy and is constantly working to improve the trademark law for brand owners and raise the professionalism of the trademark community. But she confesses that occasionally even she must relax. One recent diversion from the practice of trademark law involved taking a class in bartending. Ms. Bakinson is now officially a certified mixologist, and she enjoys creating new drinks with her newfound skills. In this sense, she says she has felt “called to two bars.”

So here’s a toast to Ms. Bakinson, one of INTA’s most passionate and seasoned volunteers!

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest. 

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