Mr Saqeb Mahbub > Mahbub & Company > Dhaka, Bangladesh > Lawyer Profile

Mahbub & Company
FLAT E1, HOUSE 37
ROAD 12/A
DHANMONDI, DHAKA 1209
Bangladesh

Position

Partner

Career

Saqeb Mahbub was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Hon’ble Society of Lincoln’s Inn after having completed my Bar Vocational Course from The College of Law of England and Wales (now named “The University of Law”). He has over 10 years of continuous work experience in Bangladesh as an Advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and throughout that time have also provided consultancy services to various international organisations as an expert on human rights, access to justice and judicial reform.

Having started his career at Huq and Company, the erstwhile leading name in dispute resolution, he joined Mahbub & Company in 2013 and has been a catalyst for transformation at the firm and in particular the disputes practice group. Saqeb Mahbub leads nearly all the firm’s high stakes arbitration matters and is widely known for his advocacy and tact in hearings. Notable involvements over the past year include acting as Bangladeshi counsel for parties in proceedings relating to two SIAC arbitrations – one against Johnson & Johnson for a Bangladesh conglomerate. Further, his construction arbitration portfolio of the past year includes a dispute against a state owned energy company (for a Korean contractor), against a state owned hotel group (for a Dubai-based contractor) and two disputes in which he is representing a state-owned company (SKS) against construction contractors.

In the past year, Saqeb Mahbub was also counsel in a landmark company law case in the Supreme Court which decided the question of whether virtual AGMs were permissible for listed companies under existing regulations. The landmark judgment directly resulted in a change in the regulations.

Saqeb Mahbub also leads the firm’s corporate and M&A work and has been instrumental in the firm’s deep inroads in the foreign investment and technology M&A markets. He has successfully led the teams advising a host of multinational clients seeking to establish entities in Bangladesh having provided them key advice on entity structuring, tax efficiency and employment issues. Saqeb has further led the firm’s work in M&A, particularly in the technology sector, where he has advised several cross-border investments in Bangladeshi tech companies.

The pandemic saw an acceleration in M&A activity particularly in the technology sector as traditional businesses had to be replaced or supplemented by tech solutions to serve a consumer base restricted in mobility. He advised several investments in online learning and e-commerce companies, many of which had complex cross-border corporate structures. 

Languages

Bangla, English, Hindi

Memberships

Hon’ble Society of Lincoln’s Inn (UK),
Dhaka Bar Association,
Supreme Court Bar Association, International Bar Association,
Barristers’ Association of Bangladesh

Education

Bar Vocational Course – The University of Law

LLM – London School of Economics

LLB – London School of Economics

Lawyer Rankings

Bangladesh > Dispute resolution

(Leading Individuals)

Saqeb Mahbub - Mahbub & Company  

A.M. Mahbub Uddin and Saqeb Mahbub lead Mahbub & Company‘s experienced dispute resolution team has a strong track record in judicial review and white-collar crime litigation, and is praised as ‘one of the top dispute firms in Bangladesh‘. Uddin regularly appears in the High Court and Supreme Court of Bangladesh, and Mahbub leads most of the group’s high stakes arbitration cases. As a whole, the group has a strong litigation practice in the Supreme Court and the District Courts of Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong. In 2022 and 2023, the group has continued to see an increase in commercial disputes and the firm’s arbitration practice handles a range of dispute types, including cross-border commercial, employment, construction, and real-estate disputes.

Bangladesh > Banking and finance

Practitioners who are part of Mahbub & Company‘s team in Dhaka ‘provide personalised solutions in a quick and efficient manner’, and often appear in court, as the firm has an excellent reputation for banking litigation, regularly handling complex Supreme Court matters. The diverse workload undertaken by the group includes mandates both in the traditional banking and the emerging fintech sectors, and it is lauded for its ‘vast knowledge of industries, from small company policies to wider legal advice.’ Practice head Saqeb Mahbub is a banking litigation and fintech expert, emblematic of the whole group, and is well supported by Tasmiah Zaman and Rifat Rahman at associate level.

Bangladesh > Corporate and M&A

(Leading Individuals)

Saqeb MahbubMahbub & Company

At Mahbub & Company, the ‘supportive and knowledgeable‘ practice head Saqeb Mahbub‘s ‘network and subject matter expertise makes him a true partner for any business.’ The group is fast-growing when it comes to M&A mandates, which is symptomatic of a growing Bangladeshi economy, and the team has increased the number of mandates in the technology startup community. The team is commended for its ‘timely delivery and detailed work for any query’. Elsewhere, the group has a foreign investment practice, including entity structuring and set-up support for foreign investors. Also notable in the team are associates Mohua Morshed, Tasmiah Zaman, and Rifat Rahman, who have excellent client service protocols and a customer-oriented attitude.