The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Pakistan > Projects and energy

‘We think the team at Haidermota is skilled and experienced in the projects and energy sector (especially  for hydropower and transmission line projects) in Pakistan, and has a firm grasp and in-depth understanding of this sector‘.

‘The lawyers are always result-oriented and capable of providing feasible and flexible solutions, even for those pioneering projects which are unprecedented in Pakistan. Their strong legal and transactional expertise are extremely impressive, and their outstanding negotiation skills are also noteworthy‘.

‘Compared with other firms we have cooperated with in this sector, Haidermota is more capable of dealing with complicated and unique transactions involving multiple parties and of providing a higher-standard of work with more cost efficient billing standards’.

‘In particular we are impressed by one of the partners Mr. Umar Shereef. Umar is a well-known and reputable legal expert in the sector, especially for independent power producer projects and he is pragmatic. He is very experienced in both the project and banking arenas, and we are impressed by his commercial and solution-oriented approach as well as his outstanding negotiating skills‘.

‘A very strong team at Haidermota & Co with leaders of the sector like  Umar Shereef. Haidermota has a large number of partners and associates who can deliver excellent legal services on a variety of projects, especially in the energy sector. I have worked extensively with  Owais Aziz, Babar Zaman Khan and Rahmat Kamal Ghanghro‘.

‘The main thing that stands out about the HMCO lawyers is their dedication, professionalism, depth of knowledge and customer focus‘.

‘The team at Axis Law can cover the commercial, financial and technical issues, which gives it a unique edge over competitors. The fee level of the firm is very competitive too because it develops a better commercial understanding (in each transaction) of the legal issues. The firm offers better value for money compared to other legal firms operating in the field of transnational advisory – Amina Ahmed‘.

‘The team at Axis Law is diligent and very responsive. The lawyers have a strong foothold in the Pakistani market and are, therefore, well positioned to provide support on various transactions. They are very knowledgeable about (in this case the energy sector) what is going on in the market’.

‘I have been working very closely with Amina Ahmed – I very much appreciated her dedication and she is very proactive. She is very experienced, knowledgeable about the energy sector and very hardworking. Because she has been involved in many transactions over time, her advice and guidance is very good. On a personal note, she is an open, energetic and a likable person, making her easy to approach and cooperate with‘.

‘Axis has vast experience in the power sector which very few other practices have to this extent in the market. They are extremely flexible and accessible which is indeed a rare attribute in comparable law practices. The partners have hired a very good support team which leads overall  to a great customer experience‘.

‘Amina in particular stands out due to her background with one of the largest law firms of Pakistan and being there since the early days of power sector contracts. She is a ‘solution finder’ and ‘flexible’ which differentiates her from other senior partners in other practices‘.

‘I’ve had a great experience of working with the team in terms of the quality of its work and the personal attention that is paid to solving contractual issues‘.

‘The people I  have  worked with owned and stood by their work. They treated my problem as their own and gave genuine advice‘.

‘For over a decade now we have an excellent working relationship with Miss. Amina Ahmed in particular,  who has assisted on all the legal aspects for achieving completion of the project. We really appreciate her dedication and consultations at all times‘.

‘K&T has a deep bench of experienced lawyers. The team has been very responsive, organised and proactive on a number of highly complex matters. There  are outstanding individuals at all levels at the firm’.

‘Ali Maaz and Maheen Faruqui at partner level are outstanding. They are very experienced and commercial’.

‘Zara Tariq at associate level is very impressive, performing at partner level’.

‘An overall comprehensive practice that is capable of handling multiple types of matters. With a strong presence in Islamabad, the firm is well staffed and provides partner-level attention to clients. An extremely capable team that has handled some of the largest and most complex infrastructure transactions in the country over the past year‘.

‘Omer Farooq – a thorough and solution-orientated lawyer who has the ability to be one of the future leaders in this area of practice. Understands the commercial part of the transactions exceptionally well. Readily available and well prepared‘.

‘It is a highly professional firm which provides you with the most helpful, consistent, and timely legal services. Here are some of the qualities which make this firm unique – extraordinary knowledge about legal matters; good communication and analytical skills; timely decisions and reliable professional services‘.

‘Omer Farooq is an extremely professional individual who is well aware of his corporate responsibilities. He has always promptly and satisfactorily replied to all the queries raised by us which makes him a distinguished lawyer‘.

‘The most unique aspect of the practice is the flexibility of the partners in making themselves available at short notice, in preparing guidance notes, memos, and legal assessments to assist the client in making decisions which are sometimes over and above the scope of work agreed. In addition, the lawyers are very ‘hands-on”.

‘Omer Farooq – by far his stand-out quality is his research and knowledge about the project finance space which extends to multiple sectors, various PPP regimes across the world, and project structures. In addition, the amount of preparation that Omer puts in for discussions/negotiations with his counterparts, and the client is exceptional. Lastly, his turnaround time in submitting the required deliverables is the best in the industry‘.

‘In the public-private partnership (PPP)/infrastructure/project finance realm, Farooq, Khan & Mirza, Advocates & Corporate Counsel (FKM) is a leading law firm of Pakistan. The firm has more experience and expertise in respect of PPPs than any other law firm of Pakistan. It has worked on and continues to work on some of the largest investment based infrastructure projects in Pakistan‘.

‘Despite working with a team of lawyers, Mr. Farooq remains closely involved in all transactions that the firm works on and dedicates personal time to all such deals. His strengths are a deep knowledge and understanding of project finance and PPPs related to transactional work, drafting and negotiation, attention to detail, meeting deal-closing deadlines, and dedicating personal time to service all his clients’ needs‘.