29 Apr Maliha Sarda Azam
Counsel
Bar Admissions:
- High Courts, 2003 (Punjab Bar Council)
- Lower Courts, 2001 (Punjab Bar Council)
Education:
- LL.M. (London)
- LL.B. (Punjab)
- B.A. (Punjab)
Biography:
MALIHA SARDA AZAM was educated at the Cairo American College (Cairo, Egypt), the American Community School (Beirut, Lebanon), and the Lahore American School (Lahore, Pakistan), where she obtained her American High School Diploma. She did her Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in English Literature, Philosophy, and Applied Psychology and her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of the Punjab, and her Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Business Law (with Merit) from the University College London (UCL), University of London. During her LL.B. degree, she obtained a Certificate of Merit in Jurisprudence and the University Distinction.
Ms. Azam commenced her law practice in 1997 as an Associate at Raja Mohammad Akram & Co., Advocates & Legal Consultants, Lahore headed by Mr. Salman Akram Raja and continued there until January 2004. During her time with Raja Mohammad Akram & Co, she worked on a number of important briefs including high-profile cases such as the UBL Retrenchment Case, the ARY-MCB Cases, the Freezing of Foreign Currency Accounts Case and the Riba Case.
In 2003, Ms. Azam was awarded the prestigious Britannia Chevening Scholarship and, in 2004, won a place at University College London (UCL) to read for the LL.M. International Business Law degree of the University of London where she specialized in International Business Transactions under Prof. G.G.J Morse and International Commercial Arbitration under Prof. Martin Hunter, Mr. Toby Landau and Mr. Samuel S. Wordsworth. Whilst in London, she also qualified as a Gray’s Inn Advocacy Trainer and attended the LL.M. course in Telecommunication Law under Prof. Ian Walden at Queen Mary College, University of London.
Ms. Azam has drafted commercial contracts, resolutions, memoranda and articles of association, powers-of-attorney, sale, lease and rent agreements for prestigious business organizations (national and multinational) as well as pleadings for presentations before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the High Courts, Banking Courts, Civil Courts and Labour Courts, the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan, tax authorities and other judicial and quasi-judicial fora. Ms. Azam represented Chinese companies in anti-dumping cases under the WTO regime before the National Tariff Commission of Pakistan and also participated in arbitral proceedings before the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), New York – a division of the American Arbitration Association.
Ms. Azam has also served as Joint Director, Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Islamabad in 2007.
Ms. Azam’s extensive practice covered all aspects of banking, commercial and corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions. She is also experienced in conducting international commercial arbitrations in Europe and United States as well as Pakistan including Construction Arbitration. She has represented several Chinese companies before the National Tariff Commission as regards the levy of anti-dumping duty. Since 2008, she served as chief legal counsel to one of the largest multinational business houses in the country and has conducted several high profile mergers and takeovers inside Pakistan as well as in Europe. She has vast experience of domestic and international corporate and financial transactions and contracts, including joint ventures and sale supply, franchising etc.
Ms. Azam has also pursued a teaching career with diligence and success. From July 2002 to May 2003, she was part of a handpicked team that designed and launched the three-year LL.B. (Hons) programme at the Punjab Law College, University of Central Punjab, Lahore. During this time, she was also member of the faculty and lectured in Constitutional, Mercantile, Labour and Administrative Laws. Ms. Azam has also remained a Visiting Lecturer at the Pakistan College of Law, Lahore and a Visiting Lecturer in Company Law and Constitutional Laws at the Punjab Law College, University of Central Punjab, Lahore. In 2005, Ms. Azam taught Contract Law at the Pakistan College of Law, Lahore, for their University of London External LL.B. (Hons) Programme. Since October 2005, Ms. Azam is a Lecturer in Contract Law at the Pakistan College of Law, Lahore in their University of London External LL.B. (Hons) Programme. She has also lectured on Partnership Law and International Commercial Arbitration for the Programme on Law for Business Executives held in December 2005 and on Mercantile Law and Regulation of Companies for the Executive MBA at the Rausing Executive Development Centre, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Areas of Expertise:
- Arbitration
- Banking
- Civil
- Commercial
- Constitutional
- Corporate
- Energy
- International Business
- Investment
- Telecommunications
Professional Affiliations:
- Punjab Bar Council
- Lahore High Court Bar Association
- Lahore Bar Association
Participation in Conferences/Seminars/Courses:
- Certificate Course on International Commercial Arbitration conducted by Toby Landau, Esq., Barrister, Essex Court Chambers, London, UK, held under the auspices of the Pakistan College of Law, Lahore from 6-20 January 2006
- Lecture on “Bilateral Investment Treaties” by Samuel S. Wordsworth, Esq., Barrister, Essex Court Chambers, London, UK, held under the auspices of the Office of the Attorney General for Pakistan and the Board of Investment, Government of Pakistan at Islamabad on 1 December 2005
- ICC Arbitration Conference “The Right Formula: International Arbitration” held under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce Pakistan at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Karachi on 23 November 2005
- Conference on “Privatization of Justice and Alternative Dispute Resolution” held at the Marriott Hotel, Islamabad on 15 November 2005
- Conference on GATS “Trade in Services: Challenges and Opportunities for Pakistan” held under the auspices of the Planning & Development Department, Government of the Punjab at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore on 14 November 2005
Languages:
- English
- Urdu