Juliette is a qualified legal associate who has practiced law in 3 countries, including Canada. She currently serves as Board Chair of the Foot In The Door Initiative (FIDI), this organization empowers internationally trained lawyers with legal experience; as Board Member and Legal Director for Immigrant Champions Canada (ICC) and as Board Member in the Compliance Committee for Better Business Bureau (BBB) an organization that works to ensure marketplace trust across the Americas and Europe.
Before joining Osuji and Smith, Juliette served as one of a handful of in-house counsel in one of the Gulf region’s largest oil and gas companies and the largest in the country, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). Her primary responsibility was ensuring legal compliance following PDO’s termination of a multi-billion-dollar contract with a foreign company, triggering the reliance on a two-nation bilateral trade treaty. Juliette played a vital role in the company’s success at ICSID (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes) and is very proud of that achievement.Her daily responsibilities also included reviewing and participating in negotiating oil and gas contracts, construction contracts, drafting legal documents (e.g., iron-clad NDAs), and advising staff and management on employment and labour related matters.
Juliette was part of a small, award-winning team responsible for the Company’s signatory with the UN Global Compact Initiative, the first country in the Gulf region to do so. This submission committed the company to sustainability with Labour, Human Rights, Environment and Anti-corruption. It’s the world’s largest global corporate sustainability initiative.Juliette was honoured to be handpicked as one of a small group of employees to attend an interactive diversity workshop with the directors of the multi-billion-dollar oil and gas company to share her insights into shaping fairer policies. She was a leading team member who initiated policies to enhance non-discriminatory practices, primarily related to pay equality and upward mobility regardless of gender and race, in a company that employed over 66 nationalities.Juliette was the first person in the company’s history to organize and host an all-female employee workshop directed at women’s safety in the workplace. She also co-planned and co-hosted several team-building and motivational events within her directorate. Her activities were featured in a national magazine and the company’s periodicals on several occasions. She was recognized for her work and received nominations and awards.
In Canada, Juliette assists clients in civil litigation matters. commercial transactions, family law, (helping families navigate issues such as parenting obligations and property division at a vulnerable time); Wills and Estate planning and particularly Employment and Labor law, assisting employers/management and employees on issues relating to wrongful dismissal claims, constructive dismissal claims, human rights complaints and reviewing and advising on employment-related agreements/policies and procedures on a wide range of workplace issues.As Board Chair of the Foot in the Door Initiative, Juliette tirelessly drives transformative programs. She cultivates FIDI partnerships and collaborations with key organizations to advance the FIDI mission while providing personalized mentorship to assist internationally trained lawyers in their legal journeys. As a result, she was recently nominated as a Mentor of Excellence by the ITL Network. She was proud to receive the award for Community Impact on behalf of the FIDI team, along with FIDI’s founder.Juliette tries to see the big picture. She has travelled to dozens of countries and has worked or volunteered in 5 countries and four continents, giving her a unique global perspective and intuitive insight and understanding of people of various backgrounds and approaches to business. Her easy communication skills, warmth, positive energy, and passion for the legal profession make her a great asset to our team. Juliette was awarded the collaborator award for her natural ability to work with diverse people.Juliette is artistically creative. She loves to design events and create stylish and efficient living spaces. Her other hobbies include travelling, painting landscapes and portraits, reading, meditating, and taking long leisurely walks.Education
Call Bar, Alberta, Canada.
Bachelor of Laws Equivalency Examinations, Federation of Law Societies of Canada
Call to Bar, Nigeria
Nigerian Law School, Barrister-at-Law (BL)
University of Benin Bachelor of Laws LLB
Open Minds Training (Diversity and Inclusion) (Train the Trainers Course) Global Diversity Practice, U.K.
Crisis and Event Management Certificate
You may contact Juliette at 403-283-8018 or email at [email protected]