This month's faculty spotlight is on Tomilola Adebiyi, instructor for Law 204/704 Corporate Law course.

Tomilola holds a LL.B from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria (2008), a B.L from the unified Nigerian Law School (2009) and a LL.M from McGill University. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2009 and began her legal career as a lawyer at a leading business law firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. After completing her accreditation process and her articles with a pro bono organization in Saskatchewan, she was called to the Bar in 2018. She thereafter worked with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission as an Investigator. Tomilola brings with her a wealth of experience in the areas of corporate-commercial law, employment law and intellectual property law, and a strong appreciation for our pro bono tradition.  

What do you enjoy most about teaching at Queen’s?   
Teaching at Queen’s, particularly in the Certificate in Law program, has been a priceless opportunity to interact with students from all walks of life, and from all over Canada. Each summer and fall, I meet students from Arts and Science backgrounds, mature students currently working full-time in various interesting positions – government, private and even self-employed individuals. I find this brings different perspectives to the course, making it an engaging one for both instructor and students. 

What can students expect to learn from your course? 
Students can expect to learn the basics of Corporate Law, the types of business structures and important considerations for choosing them; they’d learn about understanding contracts and how to draft basic business contracts; Intellectual Property Law and its importance to small and large businesses alike; raising capital through debt and equity financing and the factors to consider as a business owner before choosing a financing method; Shareholding structuring for small businesses and its importance for future expansion of the business, and a lot more. 

Why is it important to learn about Corporate Law? 
For anyone living in today’s world, a foundational understanding of Corporate Law is very important. Corporate Law issues permeate every sphere of our daily lives – we all sign contracts when we log on to a website and click “accept” on a cookies policy, or privacy policy, when we buy a new phone or laptop at Best Buy and even when we sign on to an insurance policy for our car or houses. Many people have started home businesses on a whim without realising it, or entered into partnership relationships with people impliedly where legal obligations could be inadvertently created. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of getting a foundational knowledge of Corporate Law for everyone. 

What advice can you give students taking your course?  
Being a fully online course, participation in the Discussion Forum, and the office hours with the TAs and Instructors is highly recommended for students taking the course. You will find that these avenues help bring about a deeper understanding of the concepts of Corporate Law that we learn during the course, making them less abstract and more practical for you. It’s also an opportunity to get to know the students, discuss their future goals and provide some advice, where possible.