Open to opportunities

Susan Diden

@susandiden

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I’m an in-house legal counsel specializing in marine, projects, and oil & gas commercial contracts.

Nigeria

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking to continue as in-house legal counsel covering marine and oil & gas commercial contracting, corporate compliance, and disputes—partnering closely with projects and contracting teams to manage risk and drive practical outcomes.

I advise management and cross-functional teams on corporate compliance, marine charter contracting, and oil & gas projects—covering everything from tenders and contract award through execution. I focus on minimizing risk exposure, ensuring regulatory compliance, and protecting business continuity for offshore installation and marine fleet charter services.

I oversee the company’s dispute resolution portfolio, reviewing claims, building implementation strategies with external counsel, and supporting competent representation in court and arbitration. I also provide legal guidance to HR to address employee concerns in line with employment contracts and labour law.

I’ve improved both efficiency and cost outcomes by pioneering internal filings of group and affiliate annual returns with the Corporate Affairs Commission, and by updating a compliance calendar to track regulatory requirements. I also reduced marine operations overhead through a “sale for scrap to reinvest campaign” for abandoned vessels, reinvesting sale proceeds into working vessel maintenance.

My contracting work spans EPCIC and marine charter service agreements, including review and negotiation of standard forms (such as BIMCOs) and bespoke terms. Alongside these commercial responsibilities, I bring dispute and debt recovery experience across employment disputes, marine services disputes, oil & gas projects disputes, and successful debt recovery matters.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Legal Counsel (Lead)

Current

West African Ventures Limited

Feb 2019 - Present (7 years 5 months)

Provided corporate compliance, marine charter, and oil-and-gas projects and services contracting legal support across the tender-to-contract and execution lifecycle. Oversaw dispute resolution matters (including employment, marine services, and oil-and-gas disputes) and supported HR guidance, debt recovery, and regulatory compliance filings.

Corporate Compliance Regulatory Compliance Legal Research Dispute Resolution Debt Recovery Contract Negotiation

Associate Trainee (Law)

Emerald Attorney and Solicitors

Apr 2018 - Jun 2018 (2 months)

Prepared, drafted, and reviewed legal documents including deeds, lease agreements, terms of settlement, and legal opinions. Conducted legal research and supported pre-litigation dispute resolution, including preparation of arguments and attendance at hearings and ADR sessions.

Legal Drafting Legal Research Deed Preparation Drafting Settlements Pre Litigation Disputes ADR

Legal Administrative Assistant

Ministry of Justice

Nov 2016 - Oct 2017 (11 months)

Supported the Director of Public Prosecution with research for money laundering prosecutions and preparation of summaries and case information. Handled secretarial and case file management tasks, including weekly case summaries and filing court documents and pleadings.

Legal Research Money Laundering Prosecution Research Case Summaries

Associate Trainee (UK)

Church Street Solicitors

Feb 2015 - Nov 2016 (1 year 9 months)

Researched immigration, housing, and family law matters and supported client intake and casework. Assisted with preparation of immigration and asylum appeal bundles and drafted representations to the Home Office and relevant councils.

Immigration Law Housing Law Immigration and Asylum Appeals Support Drafting Representations To Home Office Legal Drafting

Human Resource Intern

Life Flour Mill

May 2010 - Sep 2010 (4 months)

Assisted the HR function with administrative tasks including issuing leave forms and recording staff leave periods. Recorded employee timesheets to compute salaries and overtime payments and supported the HR manager with day-to-day administrative duties.

Leave Management Timesheets Payroll and Salary Payments HR And Administration

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Nigerian Law School

Bachelor of Laws (B.L.), Law

2018 -

Grade: Second Class Upper

Completed the B.L. (Law) program at the Nigerian Law School in Abuja, earning a Second Class Upper Division.

University of Buckingham

Master of Laws (LL.M), International Trade & Maritime Law

2016 -

Grade: Distinction

Activities and societies: Awarded Joint Prize for Best Performance in LLM 2016 Examinations; nominated for The Dame Barbara Shenfield Award for Excellence 2017.

Earned an LL.M in International Trade & Maritime Law with Distinction, including a Joint Prize for Best Performance in the 2016 examinations.