Background & Experience
Sotonye joins the firm of Koskie Glavin Gordon after practising civil litigation for six years. She started her law career in 2009 at a boutique litigation firm in Lagos-Nigeria where she represented labour unions and employees before superior courts. While practising in Nigeria, Sotonye acted as co-counsel representing a national trade union in the landmark jurisdiction case of N.U.E.E. v. BPE. (2010) 7 NWLR (Pt.1194) 538 at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The decision led to the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution in 2011 to recognize the national industrial court as a court with exclusive jurisdiction over labour, employment, and trade union
disputes.
In addition to her legal practice experience, Sotonye has worked in various capacities for a crown corporation including people management in a unionized environment, and as defence counsel. She has broad experience handling complex litigation files, and has represented clients in mediations, discoveries, chambers hearings, and trials in the Supreme Court of BC.
Sotonye is excited to returning to union side labour and employment law and is a board member of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) BC branch. Outside of work, Sotonye enjoys travelling, spending time with friends and family and good fiction books.
Education
- Business Leadership Certificate- Rotman School of Management- University
of Toronto (2021) - Master of Laws (International trade and human rights) – University of British
Columbia (2012) - Bachelor of Laws – Obafemi Awolowo University (2007)
Associations
- Member Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers
- Member- Law Society of BC- 2020
- Member – Canadian Bar Association-2013
- Associate- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK)- 2010
- Member -Nigerian Bar Association-2008
Awards & Rankings
- Law Foundation Fellowship (2010-2012)
- Dale Carnegie Scholarship Foundation 2005/2006
Publications
- Integrating Trade and Human Rights in West Africa: An Analysis of the
ECOWAS Experience” (2012) 32 Windsor Rev Legal Soc. Issues