Chimdimma Ugonna Onyedebelu earned her Bachelor’s degree in Law with First Class Honours from Afe Babalola University, Nigeria in 2016 and in 2017, she was called to the Nigerian Bar. She has a Master’s degree in Law (LL.M. – Dispute Resolution) from the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA.
Her passion for Arbitration, Mediation and other methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) motivated her to conduct research and prepare a paper titled “Mediation as an Effective Tool for Dispute Resolution in Nigeria: An Appraisal” as her Final Paper/ Long Essay in the University.
She is the Founder and Principal Consultant of DonyxConsult, her private Dispute Management and Strategic Consulting practice, and consults full-time for various stakeholders in dispute management. She is a certified Mediator and Arbitrator with experience in training and facilitation, strategic planning, dispute resolution, operational, technical and administrative management and coordination, and program design and implementation.
Chimdimma is an accredited Neutral with the Federal High Court ADR Centre, Plateau State Multi-Door Courthouse and the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce Dispute Resolution Centre. She has acted as Secretary in commercial arbitrations, and Mediator and Co-Mediator in mediation sessions.
She has facilitated and coordinated the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) Mediation Skills Accreditation and Certification trainings leading to membership of the Institute, and the certification training on ADR Secretarial services of the Institute of ADR Registrars, across the country. As a result, she has trained and assessed hundreds of Mediators.
She is a member of the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution (ICODR), Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Africa Network, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC), Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Members Group, Young International Arbitrators Group, London Court of International Arbitration, DIAC 40 – Young Practitioners Group, Dubai International Arbitration Centre, Young Mediators Initiative, International Mediation Institute (IMI), Association of Young Arbitrators (AYA), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and Nigerian Society of International Law (NSIL).
She has been a Speaker in ADR conferences and workshops of various organizations and institutions, some of which are the National Centre for Technology and Dispute Resolution, USA, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), Nigeria Chambers of Commerce and Industry Dispute Resolution Centre, the ICMC Young Mediators Forum, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu University, The ADR Society, University of Ilorin, The Young Diplomats Chamber, University of Ilorin, and The ADR Society, Osun State University.
She is a Nigerian-American presently based in Texas, USA