Sarjeel Mowahid, Partner ABS & Co., provides an insight of the firm practice adapting to the changing times.  

1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate ABS & Co. from your competitors?

What makes us unique is our purpose, vision & values which reflects the thinking of our founder, Mr. Ahmer Bilal Soofi, who has been a major force in shaping the legal landscape in Pakistan. We put our client’s interest ahead of our firms. This principle guides us to not only serve our clients but build long lasting relationships. Moreover, through a strong emphasis on sectoral specialization our firm has always remained ahead of the curve. Our team commands a reputation of excellence and comprises of some of the brightest legal minds in Pakistan and leaders in their fields be it the contentious side or the non-contentious side. We take pride in the fact that our firm is the ‘go to firm’ for state level matters/disputes and consulted by the Federation for national and international issues. We are also the first choice for big ticket transactions.  

2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

Though Pakistan does not have a domestic data protection law, yet the extraterritorial scope of data protection laws worldwide has resulted in a surge of queries for “data protection compliance regimes”. In our experience, many software houses in Pakistan processing International Data have reached out to establish compliance regimes in line with international data protection laws. Needless to mention the drivers behind this growth happen to be the regulatory bodies who are ensuring that data is adequately protected/safeguarded. Similarly, we do foresee growth in the agriculture sector. The Pakistani government recently introduced a liberal investment regime in the agriculture sector incentivizing corporate farming with 100 percent equity for foreign direct investors. These initiatives aim to encourage large-scale farming ventures and we have been contacted by some notable overseas entities in this regard.  

3) What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?

I believe I have been successful in creating an environment where the clients can freely express their views, concerns and feedback through personalised environment. Moreover, an approach of meritocratic decision-making has been adopted encouraging open discussions and debates among the team on the legal strategies in the best interest of the client. Additionally, great emphasis has been placed on not only recruiting the right people and training them to increase their efficiency but also revising our policies to ensure employee retention resulting in enhanced accessibility and turn-around time to the clients thereby improving the standard of service.  

4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

In the post-covid era, use of technology has become an integral part of our workplace. Technology has improved communications as we have developed an effective remote work infrastructure enabling the law firm to operate virtually, allowing the team to work from anywhere and providing clients with greater flexibility in accessing legal services. Moreover, as the clients continue to embrace the digital shift reliance on virtual data rooms grows, assisting the team in managing large volumes of data during the discovery process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.  

5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

A JV partner was exposed to potential liability due to the failure of its consortium member in performing its part. The risk was identified, negotiations were undertaken with consortium members and a mitigation strategy was implemented to save the project. The client has decided to include the strategy as part and parcel of all its JV operations in Pakistan.  

6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

The question really depends upon the stage/phase at which we are approached. At the starting point clients will need strategic direction when entering the market i.e. market entry strategy consultancy. Once the transaction/project is structured the client will need constant handholding for execution of the same (project/transaction consultancy) which in turn brings stability to the project/transaction. Lastly post execution/commissioning clients do need law firms for operational issues requiring legal input. As for the firm, we just started a Start-Up and Data Privacy division for emerging tech companies. We also intend to expand to Southern Punjab in the coming three years.