Yousaf Amanat & Associates

Offices: Islamabad and Karachi. Associate offices in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.

[EMPLOYMENT LAW,  DATA PROTECTION, MIGRATION LAW, MINING, TAX, COMPANY LAW,ADMIRALTY LAW, RESEARCH STUDIES, WORKPLACE HARASSMENT, CIVIL/CRIMINAL LITIGATION, COMPANY FILINGS]

We are the number one contact for GCs and law firms looking for advice in employment law in Pakistan: Clifford Chance, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Herbert Smith Freehills, Baker Mckenzie, Addleshaw Goddard, Apple, Weatherford Oil & Gas USA, CMS, TMI Associates Japan, Avient Corporation USA,  Gaming Innovation Group, China Three Gorges, Daily Motion, KPMG Legal, E & Y Law, PWC, HMD Global OY (Nokia Phones), Citi Group, ENI, Ericsson, Hero Delivery, Food Panda, Daily Motion, Telecure Technologies, Gaming Innovation Group, Field Fisher, Adva Com, Oxfam, Marriott International, SABIC, GIZ, GROHE, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark, Hearst Corporation are just some of the organizations for whom we are the number one employment law firm in Pakistan.

RECENT WORK EXAMPLES

World Bank: Prepared a comprehensive report for the World Bank on employment law in Pakistan.

Gig workers: Advised Berlin-based international food delivery giant Hero Delivery and Food Panda.  Detailed assessment of risks for the freelancer model.

BASF: Advised the company in its complete board of directors overhaul in Pakistan. Work involved employment law as well as company law.

Data Protection: Drafted a Report for GIZ on data protection compliance requirements in Pakistan in comparison with the EU-GDPR.

Immigration law: Advised TMI Associates Japan on criminal liability for past criminal record when applying for a business visa

Power Project: Advised China Three Gorges on the inquiry of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman of the World Bank for the Karot Power Project.

Nokia: Represented HMD Global OY (Nokia Phones) in an Appeal in the Labour Court Karachi when the Labour Court decided to summon the Chairman of the HMD Global OY (Nokia Phones) from the US.

ENI: Presently representing ENI Spa Rome in a workman compensation litigation in Karachi which we hope to have dismissed on a technicality.

Cyber Crimes: Representing Telecure Technologies Inc US in a cyber crime complaint lodged with FIA..

CEO Termination: Handled the termination of the CEO of an international financial group with offices in Pakistan. The matter saw us constantly in conference sessions with GCs of the organization.

Marriot International: Presently handling the  employment/criminal complaint filed by approximately 900 employees of Marriott International and Pearl Continent Hotels in Pakistan against their alleged wrongful termination during covid-19.

China Railway: Advised China Railway and Construction on its proposed 2,000 strong employee workforce for a project.

ABB Hitachi: The firm in July 2020 became part of a large consortium of employment law firms that are advising ABB/Hitachi. In July 2020, ABB divested its Power Grid division to Hitachi. The law firm of Elmzell Advokatbyra AB Sweden is the instructing firm in this matter. The consortium which is predominantly European has around 40 law firms and also includes names such as Tamimi & Co., Lewis Silkin and the Chinese firm Fang Law.

Offices and Team

Offices: The firm maintains offices both in Islamabad and Karachi but represents clients in all major cities of Pakistan. We currently have a staff of 20 which spans the Islamabad and Karachi offices and includes three partners and 18 lawyers. Team comprises of lawyers of the High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Team: The firm is a one window operation for all employment matters from employment litigation specialist Mr Yousaf Amanat in Islamabad and Noman Zahid in Karachi, employment tax specialists Sheraz Aslam and Sheikh Saif, to civil and criminal litigation specialists Shafique Dab and Syed Khawar (Supreme Court) respectively.  Mr Amanat is also known for his advice on data protection.

We are part of an elite international European body of employment and HR lawyers.

We have developed our data protection, tax, criminal litigation, civil litigation, finance and arbitration practice in order to cater better to our strength which is employment law. This is our vision and this is what sets us apart from our competition. In instructing us on employment matters, clients do not have to search for separate firms for criminal, tax, data protection, civil, finance and arbitration.

A lot of firms in Pakistan work in employment law however we are the only ones contacted specifically to handle sensitive high profile employment matters for clients based abroad. GCs and law firms trust us worldwide. We are known for our technical know how of employment law. Be it getting a matter:  dismissed on applicability of a law to an organization, classification of the employee,  the law of limitation, employers rely on us in getting them out of a sticky situation.

Whistle blowing investigation: In a recent assignment which the firm undertook for ENI Spa Rome, the firm was tasked with investigating a whistle blowing allegation regarding corruption and workman compensation.  The firm investigated the matter, conducted interviews of employees and examined the matter under purview of applicable laws on whistle blowing, anti-corruption and workman compensation. The firm treated the matter as a potential litigation threat for the company and advised the company on per-litigation protocols.

ILO and the World Bank: The firm has recently taken on work which involves advising clients specially Chinese companies working in the energy sector in Pakistan on compliance with the Labour Standards set by the ILO and the Compliance Advisor Ombudsperson. A lot of the Projects are financed by the IFC and the World Bank hence mandatory compliance of labour standards to the ILO and World Bank standards is important.

Data protection: We consider data protection law to be the future of law. With covid-19 we foresee that more and more emphasis worldwide will be placed on data protection. We are presently engaged in assisting Addleshaw Goddard in advising an identity monitoring service provider on the aspects of data protection found within the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 and the Electronic Transactions Ordinance 2002.

Covid-19: Covid-19 has predominantly had a lot to do with the workplace, be it restructuring or remote working. We have been busy from March 2020 with GCs contacting us from aboard for advice on employment law in the covid-19 scenario.

• We advised Agility Logistics Singapore on employment law regulations during the covid-19 period in Pakistan.
• We are presently representing Marriott International and Pearl continental Hotels in an employment/criminal complaint regarding terminating workers during the covid-19 period.
• We rendered advice to E & Y law on the termination of employment contracts for over seas workers during covid-19 in Pakistan.

Development in Pakistan on employment law:

• Pakistan enacted its federal law on employment for persons with disabilities. The law is quite comprehensive and has added to the provincial laws on the same. The law fixes specific quotas for hiring of persons with disabilities and sets out the terms and conditions for their employment and termination as well as redundancy.
• A draft law on data protection made the headlines back in August but the same has not been enacted as yet. We may very well see the law being enacted soon. A data protection law will require major overhaul in compliance for companies.
• A draft law for maternity leaves too is in the process.

Employment related practices: For us employment law isn’t just going to court and getting employee claims dismissed. That is what employment law is looked at as in Pakistan. We’ve gone one step further and made employment law our specialization.  We advise and work with international clients in the following areas of employment law:

• Government compliance
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Background checks
• Business restructuring with a particular focus on work force
• Corporate compliance and ethics
• Discrimination and harassment
• Employee benefits
• Sexual harassment
• Employment practice audits
• Employment taxes
• Executive compensation
• Global mobility
• Hiring, performance management and termination
• Investigations
• Labour management relations
• Policies procedures and handbooks
• Litigation and trials
• Data protection
• Union activism

Criminal civil law litigation: The firm specializes in high end civil litigation both in Karachi and Islamabad. In Islamabad, Mr Yousaf Amanat and Mr Sahfiq Dab are known for their expertise in handling litigation matters whereas in Karachi Mr Noman Zahid is known for his successful conclusion to cases both at the District level and the High Court. Employment matters are complex in the sense that the statute governing majority of them also allows criminal courts at the Magistrate level to preside over them. The firm would be handicapped thus if we did not have resources in criminal law. Mr Shafiq Dab who is a Partner with the firm’s Islamabad office  and is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan handles matters related to bail and white-collar crimes. The firm has also thus rendered advice on issues such as money laundering law and sexual harassment law.

The firm specializes in advising international clients on the legal requirements for their operations in Pakistan. We also offer services allied with the field of law such as advice on tax, government relations and handling matters with various government agencies. We have a specialized team for working on tax and matters related to government agencies.

Unions:

• We specialize in handling matters related to labour unions. We negotiated a golden handshake with the 300 strong labour union for TCC which enabled the company to close up its camp site before exiting Pakistan.
• We have advised MoL Pakistan Oil and Gas B.V with regard to their labour union.
• The firm has been engaged by CGGC the main CPEC contractor to advise on their dealings with their union.

Other practices: International client’s reliance on the firm has over the years grown for matters regarding their dealings with the government in Pakistan both at the federal and the provincial level. Our advice on such matters includes various sensitive issues which the firm prides itself in handling confidentially for its clients.

The Karachi office of the firm apart from employment law, specializes in Admiralty law and banking law. The Karachi office acts for a number of regional banks and shipping lines.

Mr Amanat holds a distinction in postgraduate in commercial law from the UK and is also affiliated with various universities as a visiting faculty member. Mr Amanat also acts as an arbitrator and undertakes research assignments in various fields of law.

The firm has lately started taking up advisory and contentious work in tax matters. The firm is representing various power projects in tax matters.

The firm also advises clients on regulatory issues matters pertaining to the SECP and customs authorities. Recently the firm has  provided advice to SABIC Saudi Arabia on matters pertaining to SECP and the customs authorities.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yousaf-amanat-associates