The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Pakistan > Dispute resolution

With offices in three different cities manned by two partners and five associates, Haidermota & Co Advocates has one of the leading litigation practices in the country. The group is recognised for its experience in handling complex commercial disputes of all types. It has considerable domestic and international arbitration expertise, as well as sector expertise in banking, telecoms, energy and other diverse areas such as fraud, white-collar crime and regulatory investigations. Kazim Hasan regularly represents banks before all the High Courts of Pakistan and has extensive experience of filing amalgamation and demerger petitions. Hasan also frequently represents clients before the Pakistani regulators. The team was strengthened by the addition of Jahanzeb Awan to its ranks from Khalid Anwer & Co..

Orr, Dignam & Co. covers the full array of contentious matters from mediation and arbitration through to civil litigation. The dedicated team advises major domestic and overseas clients and works closely in collaboration with a number of overseas counsel in international arbitrations. It is skilled at advising on a diverse range of matters from constitutional challenges to trade mark appeals and corporate disputes. The group acts for a broad range of clients including multinational companies, banks, multilateral agencies and public sector corporations. Sajid Zahid and Taha Aliz are leading figures in the market.

RIAA BARKER GILLETTE fields a ‘professional team’ that advises on the full array of contentious matters from its four offices in Pakistan. The team routinely represents a broad range of clients in the Supreme Court, High Courts, tribunals and other regulatory bodies. It also regularly represents its clients in the courts of first instance and in domestic and international arbitrations. With both Yousaf Khosa and Asma Hamid (who recently joined the team after serving as advocate general for the province of Punjab) at the helm, the practice is adept at handling all forms of civil, commercial, corporate and regulatory matters, including white-collar crime. Other senior additions to the team include Shafaq Rehman and Adil Tirmizey, who were promoted to the partnership.

ABS & Co. handles all aspects of commercial disputes as well as constitutional cases. Core strengths lie in advising on construction disputes and disputes between private parties and sovereign states. Other areas of expertise include advising on disputes over copyright, trade mark and patent infringement, as well as disputes in the telecoms industry. The agile team is also known for its advice on disputes relating to national security and foreign investment. Islamabad-based Ahmer Bilal Soofi and Lahore-based Salman Hanif Rajput co-head the team. Waqas Aziz Qureshi left the firm to found his own company.

Khalid Anwer & Co. has a strong reputation for its work on contentious matters. Clients range from Fortune 500 companies through to smaller corporate clients. Senior partner Khalid Anwer is a well-respected advocate of the Supreme Court, with many years' experience of appearing before the Superior Courts of Pakistan, and is widely regarded as a leading constitutional lawyer as well as having substantial expertise in commercial, taxation and real estate matters. Managing partner Raashid Anwer is another name to note.

Abraham & Sarwana frequently advises on winding-up proceedings as well as acting for international and local banks on debt recovery matters. Former judge SA Sarwana is a key contact.

Khan & Associates regularly represents clients before the Pakistani courts and is currently handling numerous cases on the domestic enforcement of foreign arbitration awards and judgments. Mansoor Khan is a well-respected practitioner who regularly appears before the Lahore, Sindh and Islamabad High Courts as well as the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Khan is also well known for his work in international arbitrations - he has represented clients before the ICC and the ICSID tribunals.

Abdul Sattar Pirzada heads the team at Hafeez Pirzada Law Associates. The barristers and advocates at the firm regularly appear before the Superior Courts of Pakistan and have successfully acted in both domestic and international arbitration matters. In addition, the team regularly advises on criminal matters.

Under the direction of Arshad Tayebaly the team at Mohsin Tayebaly & Co has extensive experience in banking and finance litigation as well as contentious company law matters. The adept team has recently handled several constitutional, civil and commercial matters before the Supreme Court and is currently representing clients in international arbitrations under the ICC Rules of Arbitration and the arbitration rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre as well as several local arbitrations. In addition, the team specialises in advising on cases relating to competition law.