Our unique culture is shaped by our Team Members who are leaders in their fields, with over thirty years of experience.
Our unique culture is shaped by our Team Members who are leaders in their fields, with over thirty years of experience.
Founding and Senior Partner
Mandviwalla & Zafar
Syed Ali Zafar is a senior partner at Mandviwalla & Zafar and one of Pakistan’s foremost constitutional and commercial advocates. Son of the eminent jurist S. M. Zafar, he read law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, graduating with an LL.B (Honours) in 1983, and was called to the Bar of England and Wales at Lincoln’s Inn in 1984. Enrolled as an Advocate of the High Court in 1985 and of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1995, he has appeared before every superior court in the country — the Federal Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Federal Shariat Court and the High Courts of all four provinces — in many of the most consequential cases of his generation.
Over a career spanning four decades he has argued matters that have shaped Pakistan’s constitutional and commercial jurisprudence. He has appeared in landmark proceedings under Article 184(3) on the enforcement of fundamental rights; secured the constitution of the Election Commission of Pakistan in accordance with the Constitution; established before the Supreme Court that the right to education is an enduring obligation of the State (the NCHD case); and has acted for the Government of Pakistan, regulators and leading national institutions in matters of public importance.
His commercial practice is equally substantial. He has acted in major banking, corporate, energy, taxation and construction disputes — for international power producers, banks and financial institutions, the stock exchanges and the country’s largest enterprises — and is among Pakistan’s most experienced arbitration counsel, having appeared under the rules of the ICC, the London Court of International Arbitration, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, ICSID and the American Arbitration Association, as well as in courts in Italy, Malaysia and Singapore. His international clients have included the International Finance Corporation, the Commonwealth Development Corporation and DEG.
He is recognised as a pioneer of Islamic finance law in Pakistan. Entrusted as a young lawyer with examining the modes of Murabaha, Musharaka and Ijara and preparing the documentation that underpinned the country’s transition to Sharia-compliant banking, he has since advised the State Bank of Pakistan, the Government and private banks, and represented the Government before the Federal Shariat Court on the validity of banking practice under Sharia principles. He has contributed to the drafting of significant legislation, chaired the All Pakistan Law Reforms Committee, and collaborated on his father’s seminal work, Understanding Statutes — Canons of Construction.
Syed Ali Zafar currently serves as a Member of the Senate of Pakistan. He was President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan for 2015–2016 and served as a Federal Minister in the caretaker cabinet preceding the 2018 general election. A committed human-rights advocate and patron of the arts, he continues to lecture on constitutional and administrative law and remains in active practice at the head of the firm.
Partner
Haider is a partner at Mandviwalla & Zafar’s Lahore office. He completed his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University. He is barred in New York and Washington, D.C. and an advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan.
At the firm, he has been involved in high-profile constitutional law cases, including a case successfully obtaining directions from the Supreme Court for holding of general elections in Pakistan by virtue of which the current parliaments came into being. In addition, he has extensive experience in corporate law, including handling and negotiating multi-million dollar mergers and acquisitions.
Haider has a background in international law and human rights, having worked with a governmental human rights body before joining the practice of law. Along with the judiciary and government, he has broad experience with the media as well as parliamentary affairs.
His key areas of practice are:
Partner
Huma Ijaz Zaman is a senior lawyer with over two decades of experience in engaging with local and international clients. She specialises in overseeing complex corporate transactions, commercial contracts and high profile legal matters including constitutional, civil, banking, commercial, and cross border family disputes. She has made powerful contributions to human rights issues and gender related pro bono work. She has also acted as a legal advisor to the Government of Punjab on matters of contractual and regulatory frameworks, legislative drafting and and transactional projects, including with respect to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority, Consumer Association Punjab, Lahore Ring Road Authority, Lahore Development Authority and the Punjab Power Development Board.
Miss Zaman has fifteen years of experience in leading as partner and managing a team of over twenty lawyers at Mandviwalla & Zafar. In addition to this, she has served as independent director on the boards of the Pak Arab Refinery Limited (2020 to present), Public Private Partnership Authority-Federal (2020 to present), and the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (2019-22). She pioneered the legal structuring of LNG projects and terminals in Pakistan, advised companies on media rights in the Pakistan Super League, and advised the Privatisation Commission on privatising distribution companies.
Miss Zaman has conducted extensive work in advising on legislation, including on recent amendments to the Punjab consumer laws, Punjab disaster management laws, and laws on gems and precious metals. She has pioneered the establishment of an arbitration centre in Lahore.
She has been a contributor to several national and international publications including the World Bank journal ‘Doing Business’, and Herbert Smith Guide to Privilege Asia Pacific Bank, in addition to several socio-political articles published in leading newspapers in Pakistan.
Her key areas of practice are:
Partner
Jahanzeb Sukhera is an advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan, and is an Attorney-at-Law in the state of New York, USA. He holds a BA-LLB from the Lahore University of Management Sciences and an LLM from Georgetown University. Prior to joining Mandviwalla & Zafar, he has had experience at the Office of the Attorney General for Pakistan, and at several international firms including Citibank and Freshfields, Bruckhaus and Deringer LLP.
As part of his litigation practice, Mr. Sukhera has appeared in court for various high-profile clients, such as the Competition Commission of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, KPMG Taseer Hadi, Dinco Inc., Bata Pakistan Limited, Warid Telecom Pvt. Ltd., Habib Bank Limited, Allied Bank Limited and Escorts Investment Bank Limited.
Mr. Sukhera gained national prominence when he successfully challenged the termination of services of the Chairperson and members of the Competition Commission of Pakistan before the Islamabad High Court.
His key areas of practice are:
Partner
Mehek Zafar is an advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan. She completed her LLB from the London School of Economics before going on to pursue the bar from Lincolns Inn, UK and LLM from Columbia Law School. She has represented domestic and international corporations as well as individuals on a wide range of matters and her list of clients includes Siemens Pakistan Engineering Company Limited, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Subway International B.V., Faisal Bank Limited and Kashf Foundation. Miss Zafar has also clerked at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and worked at the Columbia Centre for Sustainable Investment.
Her key areas of practice are:
Partner
BA/LLB, University of Punjab (2001)
Key areas of practice:
Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan
Senior Associate
LLB, Punjab University Law College (1989)
Post Graduate Diploma in Labour Laws, Punjab University Law College, (1991)
MA (Political Science), University of Punjab
Key areas of practice:
Associate
Kashish Leghari is an Associate at Mandviwalla & Zafar and holds an LL.B. (Hons.) from the University of London. Her practice spans civil and property law, regulatory compliance, family law, alternative dispute resolution, environmental law, tax law, and corporate and commercial transactions. She regularly appears before the lower courts and assists partners on complex constitutional litigation matters before the High Courts, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and the Federal Constitutional Court. Her expertise includes both litigation and advisory services across a wide range of practice areas.
Associate
Aqsa Mujaddid holds a BA.LL.B (Hons.) degree from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) (Class of 2025). Her work at the firm primarily focuses on civil and commercial litigation, including family law, property law, labor law, corporate and contractual disputes, environmental law and regulatory compliance, as well as alternative dispute resolution and constitutional matters. She holds a license to practice before the lower courts and assists senior counsel with cases before the High Courts, the Federal Constitutional Court, and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Associate
Syed Farrukh Hassan holds an LLB (Hons) degree from the University of London. His practice primarily focuses on Civil Litigation, Criminal Defence, Corporate & Commercial Law, Family Law, and related matters. He is known for delivering strategic, results-driven representation through sharp legal acumen, meticulous preparation, and strong advocacy, while maintaining a client-focused approach that emphasizes practical and effective solutions.
He takes a forward-looking view of the law and is particularly interested in automotive technology and the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in shaping the future of legal practice. He actively leverages modern tools to deliver smarter, faster, and more effective outcomes for his clients, with dedication, integrity, and a keen ability to anticipate challenges.
Associate
Muhammad Umair Afzal joined Mandviwalla & Zafar as an Associate in 2015 and obtained his High Court Licence in 2017. He was elevated to Senior Associate in 2022.
He advises and represents clients in civil, family, property, and transactional matters across civil, district courts and the High Court. His work includes handling complex disputes, drafting and negotiating agreements, managing property and corporate transactions, and providing strategic, commercially practical legal solutions.
Associate
Associate Advocate, Mandviwalla and Zafar Advocates
Hamid Abbas completed his LL.B (Hons) from the University of the Punjab in 2021 and pursued an LL.M in Commercial Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution from the University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom (2023–2024). He joined Mandviwalla & Zafar Advocates in March 2025 as a Trainee Advocate and was elevated to the position of Associate in October 2025.
His practice focuses on property and rent disputes, arbitration, family law, workplace harassment cases, legal drafting and research. He appears before various courts and forums, handling contentious matters with diligence and precision.
Head Clerk