Doulah & Doulah > Dhaka, Bangladesh > Firm Profile
Doulah & Doulah Offices
DOULAH HOUSE, PLOT 153/2, ROAD 2/2, BLOCK A, SEC 12
MIRPUR
DHAKA 1216
Bangladesh
Doulah & Doulah > The Legal 500 Rankings
Bangladesh > Banking and finance Tier 1
Doulah & Doulah's multidisciplinary team is ‘very well placed to give clear advice with regard to all legal issues'. The group is led by A B M Nasirud Doulah 'a trusted partner in Bangladesh’. One of the group’s strengths lies in transactions, particularly those with cross-border elements across a range of sectors. As well as handing a multitude of corporate finance mandates, for which Amina Khatoon is often called upon, the group is also commended for its ‘very good cooperation and very comprehensive assistance regarding complex loan structures.’ In the banking sector more specifically, it advises clients in cross-border financings, factoring, and other foreign exchange matters.Practice head(s):
A.B.M. Nasirud Doulah
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The Doulah team has proven to be very reliable with their advice and have the capability to cover most of the key areas of law where local support is needed (including competition and tax).’
‘Nasirud Doulah is very easy to deal with and very responsive. He is a trusted partner in Bangladesh.’
‘The firm is very well-placed to give clear advice with regard to all legal issues.’
‘A.B.M. Nasirud Doulah has excellent knowledge concerning local approval processes with regard to import transactions and related loan facilities, as well as the creation of loan collaterals, such as pledge of fixed assets.’
‘Very good cooperation and very comprehensive assistance regarding complex loan structures.’
Key clients
Commerzbank
Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation
Islamic Development Bank
Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited
The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector
Export Import Bank of China
China Development Bank
China Agricultural Bank
China CITIC Bank
Mashreq Bank
Deutsche Bank
Commerzbank
Akabank
Landesbank
BHF Bank
Work highlights
- Advising Asian Development Bank on various aspects of its trade finance arrangements with a large number of private banks in Bangladesh.
- Acting as Sponsors Counsel for $139m financing by Development Bank of Singapore in Dhaka North 36MW Waste to Energy power plant.
- Acting for a consortium of Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Ltd., China CITIC Bank and China Development Bank on the financing of $412m in a PPP toll road project.
Bangladesh > Corporate and M&A Tier 1
Doulah & Doulah is headed up by Amina Khatoon and Nasir Doulah; the pair are known for their project finance and development expertise and are praised alongside other team members for ‘giving good advice and finding solutions.’ The practice’s multi-jurisdictional setup is exemplified by its ability to be a ‘safe pair of hands in difficult jurisdictions,' and it advises on high-value M&A transactions, both in Bangladesh and internationally, including on the acquisition of major international banks. For the team, construction and infrastructure have been areas of significant growth, and the group has experience advising clients such as General Electric.Practice head(s):
Nasirud Doulah; Amina Khatoon
Testimonials
‘Safe pair of hands in difficult jurisdictions.’
‘Nasrid Doulah gives good advice and can find solutions.’
‘Good attorneys, associates are helpful.’
‘They provide customised service as per individual need. Always available to respond.’
‘Unique service and close coordination with customers. Providing best solutions and advice.’
Key clients
Amazon
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Walmart
JC Penney
Total Eren
Kmart
Hero Future Energies
Ib Vogt
Cyclect Energy
Aggreko
Target
Pendekar Energy
General Electric
Scatek Solar
Powerchina
CMEC
PepsiCo
Hyatt Hotels
Whirlpool
TBEA
Associated British Foods
ITC
China Energy Engineering Group
China Harbour
CAL Securities
Work highlights
- Acting for IFC as a transaction adviser to the PPP Authority acting as local legal counsel on the development of Patenga Container Terminal on PPP basis.
- Represented US based Beringia Energy Global LLC in acquiring two HFO / diesel run independent power plants in Bangladesh.
- Represented Malaysia based Pendekar in consolidating its power assets in Bangladesh, including a number of power generation facilities involving a large number of intra-group restructures, acquisitions and mergers.
Bangladesh > Tax Tier 1
Practice head Amina Khatoon, well supported by associate Ariful Islam, is the leader of at Doulah & Doulah‘s tax team. The group in Dhaka provides clients with a one-stop shop and sits within the firm’s finance department, acting on large-scale, high-value transactions of a cross-border nature. It has strong knowledge of the tax system in Bangladesh, particularly tax exemption laws. Sector wise, recent areas of interest for the team include the manufacturing and banking industries. Construction and infrastructure have also been growth areas for the team.Practice head(s):
Amina Khatoon
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Amina Khatoon is the leader of this tax exemption team. Throughout the whole process she gave professional guidance which helped a lot.’
‘The tax system in Bangladesh is really complicated and it is very difficult to get tax exemption. Under their professional assistance, we did.‘
Key clients
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Walmart
JC Penney
General Electric
Hyatt Hotels
Miravet
Scatek Solar
Powerchina
CMEC
PepsiCo
Jafpa Comfeed
Work highlights
- Advised a number of Singapore based institutional investors on performing due diligence in connection to their subscription to BDT22.5bn Beximco Green Sukuk.
- Assisted Platinum Equity with tax due diligence regarding a successful acquisition of a controlling stake in Hop Lun with a number of manufacturing plants in Bangladesh.
- Assisted POSCO with completing tax due diligence for an EPC contract being executed with respect to a thermal plant under construction.
Bangladesh > Dispute resolution Tier 2
Clients instructing Doulah & Doulah's group include well known entities such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Walmart. Practice head A.B.M. Shamsud Doulah is primarily concerned with commercial litigation and arbitration, and corporate law specialist Amina Khatoon is a key name to note for corporate and commercial disputes. The group is supported by a strong transactional team which regularly handles a variety of investment, banking, and construction matters. In 2022 and 2023, the group has seen an uptick in lease finance and project finance disputes.Practice head(s):
Shamsud Doulah
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Amina Khatoon and the team are very professional.’
Key clients
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Walmart
JC Penney
General Electric
Hyatt Hotels
Miravet
Scatek Solar
Powerchina
CMEC
PepsiCo
Jafpa Comfeed
Work highlights
- Assisted Thaicom Public Company limited with mediating a claim against Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited in pendency of a UNCITRAL arbitration.
- Represented Wilmington Trust Company in a creditors action judgment, successfully obtaining a judgment in favour of an air operator and eleven of its affiliates.
- Acting for General Electric Capital Aviation Service in an arbitration at LCIA in connection to recovery of dues from a local air operator.
Doulah & Doulah > Firm Profile
The firm: D&D is a leading law firm in Bangladesh under registration number 27074. Established in 1965 the firm stands as one of the largest and most experienced law firms in Bangladesh representing the world’s largest business houses and working with the biggest international law firms. The firm possesses top-ranked transactional capabilities complemented by a strong litigation practice with a large client-base.
Areas of practice
Admiralty and shipping: D&D offers one of the strongest shipping practices assisting in both wet and dry contentious and non-contentious matters. The practice advises owners, agents, P&I clubs, financiers, charterers and their insurers. In 2018-19 the firm acted in nine admiralty lawsuits and four shipping finance transactions.
Aviation: D&D represents major aircraft leasing companies including both ILFC and General Electric Capital Aviation. The firm acts in both wet and dry leasing transactions. Recent transactions include acting for GE Capital and EDC in lease / asset finance in Biman and US Bangla respectively. The firm represents major airlines including, among others, Eithad, Gulf, Air Arabaia, Singapore, Malaysia and Korean airlines. D&D has been appointed as honorary adviser to Aviation Working Group.
Banking: The firm offers true banking expertise both on regulatory and transactional aspects. The Bangladesh modern banking legal platform was finalised by D&D partners under World Bank’s Financial Sector Reform Programme in 1996. D&D has been working on two FX arrangement transactions for Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan following similar projects for Merrill Lynch and Bank of New York. It also completed a banking project for Calyon Bank on money market products followed by a similar project for JP Morgan. Following the deregularisation of commodity derivative products, it worked for CommerzeBank in a number of such transactions.
Capital markets: D&D is one of the few local firms that possesses capital market expertise. It represents major institutional investors including Morgan Stanley, CitiGroup, CLSA, Credit Suisse and ABN Amro. Currently, the firm is working on the pledging of a big Bangladeshi listed security portfolio for LGT Bank. It worked on the first PIPE transactions in Bangladesh for Global Emerging Markets (GEM). The firm is also working on a Malaysian Sukuk bond matter.
Corporate, M&A and FDI: D&D offers market leading corporate and M&A practice. It works for a number of multinationals in corporate structure and restructure matters including Nokia, LG, GE etc. D&D has completed over eighteen M&A transactions in 2018-19 acting for clients like Shenzhen/Shanghai Stock exchange in acquiring Dhaka Stock Exchange, Lafarge and Holcim merger, Ophir Energy acquisition of Santos exploration assets and merger with Medco etc. D&D partners drafted the Bankruptcy Act, hence the firm specialises in claw back and insolvency reorganisations.
Finance and securitization: This is a stressed area of D&D practice with extensive experience in financing, security, mortgages, pledge and collateral documentation. The firm is advising China Exim Bank in two large scale financings in different power projects and China Development Bank in one toll road project. IsDB is a regular client. Also appointed by SAARC SDF for the operationalizing of two IDA credit windows for Bangladesh infrastructure projects. Other cross border complex financing clients include IFC, OPIC, ICICI, KFW, AB Svensk Exportcredit etc.
Infrastructure, PPP and construction: Extensive experience in all kinds of infrastructures is D&D’s specialty. The firm was appointed by both of the construction and dredging contract awardees for the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge followed by appointment for Padma Bridge. Currently, the firm is working on Dhaka Water Sector Development Project for European Investment Bank and Dhaka Airport Third Terminal Project for Samsung. The firm has also acted for IFC in project development and financing of the first floating LNG terminal in Bangladesh.
Intellectual property: D&D’s IP practice is regarded as one of the strongest, offering both protection and enforcement services for trademarks, patents, designs and copyrights. D&D has implemented the concept of a well known mark, for Nokia, in Bangladesh for the first time. It also has big scale enforcement capabilities which were established when it worked for Sony against over two hundred counterfeiters in Bangladesh.
Litigation and dispute resolution: Complemented by a strong litigation practice, D&D offers effective dispute resolution capabilities. The firm is active at all levels of judiciary platforms. Currently, the firm is working in two large volume litigations for Cargill and Intelsat. The firm is also conducting an ICC arbitration for Gulf Air and another for Microsoft. The firm acted in two of the largest anti-dumping suits in US courts.
Natural resources: D&D is one of the leading firms to advise on both up-stream and down-stream aspects of the energy sector especially in the exploration of oil, gas and coal. The firm represented Zhenhua Oil is its successful bid to acquire three gas fields from Chevron and Ophir acquisition of Santos assets. It has been advising US based Quanta in gas transmission construction project following participation on similar projects for Saipem and Drilltech. D&D is working for Tecnosteam Energy for erection of three ADB funded gas compression station. D&D has also finalised the production sharing contracts for ONGC, OIL, POSCO, Daewoo, among others, for the exploration of hydrocarbon in the Bay of Bengal.
Power and energy: D&D possesses unparalleled expertise in the power sector. So far it has been involved in structuring one hundred and twenty power projects in Bangladesh. It is now working on structuring the 1250MW LNG fueled power plant for GE under partnership with BPDB. Also acted for Excelerate Energy in developing the Mahesjkhali FSRU (LNG Terminal). The firm acts as local counsel to a large number of power producers including General Electric, Blackstone, AES, El Paso and CMEC. Other power project financier clients include OPIC, IDB and ICICI. It has extensive experience in the M&A of power plants, with AES and ElPaso as clients.
Regulatory and probono: D&D recognises its responsibilities towards the society and allocates a specific number of hours for CSR and pro-bono projects. It worked in the FSRP project to reform the financial sector of the country. After extensive research the Corporate Government Assessment Report was published in collaboration with World Bank. The firm regularly participates in the finalisation of other laws and has drafted laws like the Bankruptcy Act. The firm is working for ADB on modernising municipal laws, and in the UN’s MHealth project. D&D has also acted as legal advisors in establishing USAID’s Tropical Forest Conservation Fund.
Taxation and employment: These are integral parts of D&D’s corporate practice with the contentious and advisory practice representing clients from tribunal to appellate division in Supreme Court. The firm is currently working in a constitutional writ for MAS in a very large VAT and for UPS in direct tax disputes. The firm successfully represented El Paso for a tax exemption. With an in-depth employment practice, the firm has just completed a pension fund creation for Children’s Place. It also advises clients like BAT, GE and Intertek on long term incentive options with regular employment clients like GAP, Puma, EWM, VF and HP.
Telecommunication and fintech: The telecommunication and fintech practice at D&D is one of the finest. It advised Societe Generale in its financing in the first satellite for Bangladesh. It is also worked with NERA on the auction of 3G licenses. Current major projects include the establishment of a global roaming hub for a leading global operator, a global mobile banking platform for Belgacom, and a dedicated access point for Akamai. M&A clients include Huawei and Vimpelcom. Other corporate projects include AT&T, WorldCom, ZTE, Nokia, Grameenphone, among others. The firm represents a large number of clients in fintech matters such as Microsoft, Ant Financial and Google.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admiralty and shipping | Badrud Doulah | bdoulah@doulah.net | |
| Arbitration | Shamsud Doulah | sdoulah@doulah.com | |
| Aviation | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Banking and finance | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Capital markets | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Commercial and antitrust | Shamsud Doulah | sdoulah@doulah.com | |
| Corporate and M&A | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Corporate and M&A | Amina Khatoon | akhatoon@doulah.net | |
| Employment and labour | Amina Khatoon | akhatoon@doulah.net | |
| Energy and power | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Infrastructure and construction | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Intellectual property | Sohailud Doulah | sodoulah@doulah.com | |
| Litigation | Shamsud Doulah | sdoulah@doulah.com | |
| Taxation | Amina Khatoon | akhatoon@doulah.net | |
| Telecommunication | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Privacy & Data Protection | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net | |
| Fintech | Nasirud Doulah | ndoulah@doulah.net |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
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Mr A B M Nasirud Doulah | Partner, Leading M&A, Project Finance & Infrastructure / Project Development / PPP… | View Profile |
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Mr A.B.M. Shamsud Doulah | Partner, Leading Dispute Resolution & IP Enforcement | View Profile |
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Mr A B M Badrud Doulah | Senior Partner, Leading Banking, Finance & Capital Market | View Profile |
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Mr A B M Nasirud Doulah | Partner | View Profile |
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Mr A B M Shamsud Doulah | Senior Partner | View Profile |
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Dr Amina Khatoon | Partner, Leading Corporate, Tax, Employment and Project Development | View Profile |
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Dr Amina Khatoon | Partner | View Profile |
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Mr Mucktadir Rahman | Leading Arbitration & Litigation Counsel | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 29 at this office : 26Languages
Bengali EnglishNotable Cases
Doulah & Doulah top ranked transactional capabilities supported by strong litigation team. With market leading practice in M&A, finance, corporate, tax, employment and IP matters in industries such as infrastructure, power, energy, banking, finance. manufacturing, FDI, telecom, commercial and so on it represents world’s largest businesses and works with the biggest international law firms in most of the major transactions in Bangladesh. Recent representative transactions include:
M&A
- Successfully represented Capital Alliance Limited in acquiring a merchant bank
- Successfully represented China Shandong Hispeed & Sinohyrdo in acquiring 49% stake in First Dhaka Elevated Expressway
- Represented Zhenhua Oil in its successful bid of three gas fields in Bangladesh worth USD2billion
- Successfully represented Shenzhen and Shanghai Stock Exchange in a sizeable 25% stake acquisition in Dhaka Stock Exchange for USD119m
- Represented Ophir Energy in its successful bid to acquire Santos Exploration assets followed by its merger with Medco
- Represented Cementos Molins, the common shareholder, in the Lafarge and Holcim merger in Bangladesh
Finance:
- Successfully represented China Exim Bank in its project financing in USD2.4billion Patuakhali 2×662 MW thermal plant
- Successfully represented Export Development Canada in financing US Bangla acquisition of two new ATR aircrafts
- Acted for ICD of Islamic Development Bank in its USD30m Islamic line to a bank in 2021
- Have been acting for China Development Bank as lender’s counsel in its financing of a toll road project in Bangladesh
- Acted for European Investment Bank in its financing of Dhaka Water Supply Development Project
Power & Energy
- Successfully acted as International Finance Corporation (IFC) & Excelerate Energy local counsel for project development and financing of Maheshkhali LNG Terminal
- Represented Zhenhua Oil in its successful bid to acquire three gas fields in Bangladesh worth USD2billion
- Have been acting for General Electric in developing a 1250MW LNG fuelled Power Plant in collaboration to Bangladesh Power Development Board
- Acting for Tecnosteam Energy in its development of three gas compression station under finance from Asian Development Bank
- Acting for Scatec Solar in its development of a 50MW solar power plant under negotiation for IFC financing
- Acted for all of the latest gas exploration PSC contract awardees including ONGC, OIL, POSCO and Daewoo
- Acted for China National Petroleum Corporation for the deep-sea single-point mooring with double pipe line for the state-run Eastern Refineries Ltd
- Acted for Sinosure in legal due diligence and risk assessment of most of the coal based thermal plants in Bangladesh
Other Infrastructure
- Acted in preliminary feasibility study of Chinese Economic Zone at Anwara in collaboration to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC)
- Acted in preliminary due diligence for a prospective lender for financing China-Bangladesh Iron & Steel Production Zone
- Have been advising Samsung in Dhaka Airport Third Terminal Construction Project
- Acted for Jan De Nul in its development of Paira Port Project Dredging on PPP basis under collaboration with Paira Port Authority
- Have been advising China State Construction & Engineering Corporation in its participation in a PPP toll road project
- Acted for IHI Corporation in construction of second Kanchpur / Meghna / Gumti Bridges
- Acted for Kerryong in its construction of South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Road being financed by ADB
Client Testimonial
CLIENT: Islamic Development Bank, ICD
COMPANY/FIRM: Doulah & Doulah
TESTIMONIAL: What we like about the firm is that their analysis is always thorough and complete. In addition, they have the immaculate capability of providing all kinds of solution to your issues accompanied with the right risk matrix.
CLIENT: China State Construction & Engineering Corporation (CSCEC)
COMPANY/FIRM: Doulah & Doulah
TESTIMONIAL: The depth of the firm in infrastructure project due diligence and risk assessment is outstanding. They always revert within timeline with every details incorporated under well-organized documentation that you can always rely on.
CLIENT: General Electric
COMPANY/FIRM: Doulah & Doulah
TESTIMONIAL: The responsiveness of the firm to our queries and needs is simply exceptional. This combined with the solution oriented approach at the firm has made it as our first to go law firm in Bangladesh.
Diversity
Aligned with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals the firm offers an equal opportunity work environment and ecosystem and ensures appreciation and respect of differences in race and ethnicity irrespective of gender and sexual orientation, religious affiliation, age and physical capabilities.
The firm, in addition to providing legal services to various national and international corporate clients, actively encourages and supports its members in providing pro-bono advice and representation in public interest and human rights cases.
- Banking and finance
- Corporate and M&A
- Tax
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Dispute resolution