Leadership

Ahmer is the Senior Managing Partner of the firm and the head of its dispute resolution practice. As an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, he divides his time between the firm's offices in Lahore and Islamabad. He has more than thirty years of experience in representing the government, ministerial departments, regulatory bodies, financial institutions, listed and unlisted companies, high-net individuals including foreign sovereigns on a broad range of contentious matters that include commercial, constitutional, tax, employment, trade, energy and investment disputes.

He has consistently been ranked as one of the leading individuals in Dispute Resolution by Chambers and Legal 500. He is "highlighted for his long-standing experience in advising on public law, as well as international arbitrations" and is praised for being a "true professional with legal acumen and strength in drafting". One client notes that he "has refined the art of anticipating opposing counsel's moves and devising effective counterstrategies" and is known for being "widely respected by the Supreme Court as well as the High Court for his intellect and delivery".

He is a member of the International Court of Arbitration, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the OIC Arbitration Centre. He served as the Federal Minister for Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs during the caretaker setup in 2013 under whose watch Pakistan completed its first transition of civilian rule from one elected government to another. He is a Member of the Panel of Eminent Persons of OIC and has served as the Chairman of the UN Advisory Committee on Human Rights in Geneva. He regularly advises the government on international treaties, international sanctions, UNSC Resolutions, BITs and other bilateral and multilateral issues related to public international law and is frequently invited to deliver talks at the National Defense College Islamabad, Command and Staff College Quetta, National Management College Lahore, Naval War College Lahore and several other institutes. He has previously been invited for delivering similar lectures at International Development Law Organization Rome, Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Sri Lanka, Shanghai University China, Fletcher School USA, Royal United Services Institute, London and Harvard Law School, USA.

Dr. Sikander Ahmed Shah is a founding member of the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Following a B.A. in Economics and a Juris Doctorate (Cum Laude) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he obtained an interdisciplinary Doctorate of Philosophy from Indiana University. Currently, Dr. Shah serves as the Director of the Centre for Chinese Legal Studies (CCLS) at SAHSOL, supervising international conferences, academic projects, and novel research initiatives. Having held visiting faculty positions at the Temple Law School, the Wayne State Law School, and the University of Michigan Law School - as well as an adjunct faculty position at the Maurer School of Law, Indiana University Bloomington - Dr. Shah brings a wealth of international experience in imparting legal education to bear in line with contemporary teaching methodologies. He has regularly advised governmental and non-governmental organizations on matters of international law at various fora including colleges, judicial academies, and the Foreign Service Academy, Pakistan.

Over the course of his academic career, Dr. Shah has authored a formidable body of published works. His articles and opinions have appeared in leading international law journals including the American Journal of International Law and the Washington University Global Studies Law Review. Dr. Shah has authored a book, titled International Law and Drone Strikes in Pakistan: The Legal and Socio-political Aspects (Routledge Research in the Law of Armed Conflict), a seminal piece on the intersection of preexisting international humanitarian law and emerging combat technologies. His teaching and research interests are principally focused on Public International Law, Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Political Theory, Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, Corporate Governance, Lawfare and the Law of Terrorism, Refugee Law, Constitutional Rights and Freedoms, and Business and Legal Ethics.

On the litigatory front, Dr. Shah has served as the legal advisor to the Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 2012 - 13, providing valuable strategic guidance and advice to the sitting minister and the Ministry on a broad array of strategic and sensitive international legal issues. He regularly advises bodies engaged in public policy formulation in Pakistan, providing insights into how the country's international legal obligations inform domestic law and policy. Dr. Shah's multidisciplinary projects also reflect his eclectic academic interests; in addition to being actively engaged in training the Research Cell of the Lahore High Court, Dr. Shah has also successfully collaborated on projects focused on human rights clinics and the promotion and protection of Child Rights in Pakistan. For this purpose, he has trained Paralegals (Lawyers' Clerks / Munshis and Community Workers) on Standard Operating Procedures to provide sensitive and effective service delivery to sexual abuse survivors. Dr. Shah is presently engaged in an exhaustive project aimed at reforming Pakistan's Criminal Justice Sector System.

Ms. Toor has completed her MS in Peace and Conflict Studies from the Centre for International Peace and Stability (CIPS), NUST and holds a Bachelor in International Relations from Kinnaird College. She has worked on a plethora of research publications, including authoring a book chapter on "Non-exhaustion of Liberal Legal Means to End the Kashmir Conflict" published by NUST Press, Islamabad and co-authoring a paper with Dr. Najimdeen Bakare on "Revisiting Mackinder's Heartland Theory: Identifying the Emergence of a Complex Power Competition in the Indian Ocean Region" published by Przeglad Strategiczny (Strategic Review). Ms. Toor has also been invited as a guest speaker at various platforms to discuss the nature and impact of conflicts, cyber security, and peace building in Pakistan. Additionally, she has worked as a lead program coordinator for a number of international grants and projects that involved capacity building of police officers, paralegals, and community workers pertaining to Rights of Women & Children. Her primary area of focus remains the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and her paper on "An Assessment of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Threats, Prospects and Implications" has been published in the International Affairs and Global Strategy Journal.