RIAA BARKER GILLETTE

Senior and Managing PartnerTop-ranked by leading legal directories, Ahsan Zahir Rizvi is the Global Senior and Managing Partner of RIAA Barker Gillette. He is globally recognized as a leading international corporate lawyer. He has extensive experience in all aspects of corporate and commercial legal matters including contract negotiations, strategic planning, commercial arrangements, banking and finance, corporate and financial restructuring, privatizations, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and project finance. He has particular expertise in complex cross-border transactions in the energy, infrastructure and telecommunications sectors. He has undertaken high-stakes dispute resolution work in London, Brussels, Singapore and Pakistan.

PartnerRecommended as a leading lawyer by prestigious legal directories, Bilal Shaukat is the Managing Partner of RIAA Barker Gillette (Pakistan), and heads the corporate/commercial practice of the firm in Karachi. A distinguished member of the legal fraternity in Pakistan, his chief areas of focus include project finance, mergers and acquisitions and infrastructure projects. He is particularly well known for his extensive experience in developing power projects, including coal, RLNG and renewable energy projects. He has worked on number of China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects and regularly assists clients with foreign and local financing facilities including Sukuks and Musharaka arrangements.  A seasoned professional with more than twenty years of experience in contentious and non-contentious matters, Bilal regularly advises multinational companies, financial institutions and other listed companies in complex company, banking, competition, and income tax related matters. Bilal has also been active within the public sector and has rendered advice on the establishment and growth of private independent investment in state-owned enterprises. More recently, he has been busy with Public Private Partnership Projects and is currently advising the Government of Sindh on the development of a hybrid solar/gas power project for the K-IV Water Supply Project and the Dhabeji Industrial Zone Project.

Senior Partner Hasnain has more than seventeen years of experience in non-contentious legal matters including project finance, contract negotiations, corporate and financial restructuring, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, tax and general corporate advisory services. Hasnain has represented most of the power projects in Pakistan since 2002 on behalf of companies such as SK Hydro (Private) Limited and Sapphire Renewables Limited. Hasnain has advised on infrastructure projects exceeding USD 10 billion in aggregate value and has represented scores of local and international investors.Hasnain has taken a keen interest in ADR (alternative dispute resolution) including mediation and expert adjudication and helps clients find cheaper and efficient solutions for their commercial disputes.

PartnerYousaf's chief areas of focus include construction, oil and gas, and telecommunications. He has extensive experience in all kinds of local and international forms of construction contracts. He has been part of a number of teams involved in the drafting of some of the significant petroleum laws of Pakistan. Yousaf has also experience in advising clients on capital markets, corporate law, and mergers and acquisitions. He is particularly proficient in deals involving the setting up, acquisition and sale of businesses in Pakistan. He also advises on various joint ventures, in addition to working with clients on general corporate, corporate restructuring and regulatory matters. He has advised on telecommunication laws in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, both as legal advisor and litigation counsel.He regularly advises major clients on corporate, commercial, banking, labor and taxation matters. He has acted as counsel in litigation matters in various courts of Pakistan in addition to quasi-judicial and regulatory tribunals. He is also well regarded for his record of success in domestic and international arbitration proceedings.