Deals that close. Deals that work.
I help investors, founders and property owners structure private credit, joint ventures and capital raises, so the deal holds up in practice, not just on paper.
Three kinds of deal. One standard: it has to close.
I work with a small number of clients at a time, on the deals where structure is the difference between a term sheet and a signed one.
Debt that closes. Debt that works.
Term sheets, security and facility documents for lenders and borrowers, structured so the money moves and the downside is genuinely covered.
Land plus capital, without the fallout.
Joint venture structures for property owners and financiers that fix contributions, control and exit before the first block is laid.
Raise ready, on both sides.
The instruments, cap table and transaction documents founders and investors need to get through diligence and close the round properly.
Buying property in Lagos from another country?
The hardest part of buying land from overseas is knowing what is real. I investigate the title before you pay anyone, verify the family and the survey, and carry the purchase through to a registered document, while you stay where you are.
You never have to be on the ground to buy safely.
Start with a sessionA short path, priced up front.
No open ended retainers to start. You know what you are paying for, and what you are getting, at each stage.
The strategy session
A paid working session on your deal. We pressure test the structure and I tell you what it actually needs, and what it does not.
The plan and the papers
A written structure and the documents to execute it, priced to the specific deal and agreed before any work begins.
Run to signing
I drive it through to signing, manage the counterparties, and stay reachable once the ink is dry.
A sense of the deals I handle.
Details changed to protect client confidence.
A six figure USD private credit facility across borders, documented and secured for the lender.
A multimillion naira land acquisition, handled end to end for the buyer.
A departing founder's exit and share buyback at a fintech, negotiated and put on paper.
An early stage company's cap table and founder terms, cleaned up ahead of a raise.
A Lagos development joint venture, structured around a capital partner's entry.
The Private Deal Strategy Session
Ninety minutes on your deal. You leave with a clear read on the structure, the real risks and the path to close, whether or not you go on to instruct me.
- A structured review of the deal in front of you
- Where it is exposed, and how to fix it
- A fixed quote to take it to close, if you want one
One session. About ninety minutes. Credited to your engagement if we proceed.
Book the sessionTolu Akerele
Principal, The Akerele Law Firm · LagosTolu Akerele is a qualified Nigerian lawyer and the principal of The Akerele Law Firm, a boutique commercial practice in Lagos. He works across private credit, real estate and early stage capital, the deals where getting the structure right is the whole job.
With earlier experience at DLA Piper Africa, he takes on a small number of engagements at a time, by design, so the client in front of him has his full attention through to close.