Taimur A. Mirza

Barrister at Law

Advocate High Court

Taimur Mirza is the firm’s managing partner for the Karachi office. He has around ten years of experience in contentious and non-contentious legal work in the areas of civil litigation, constitutional law, tax, customs law, company law, telecommunication law, media law, oil & gas law, electricity laws, antitrust law, tobacco control legislation, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property law, banking and finance law, international law etc..

 

He has rendered advice to various corporate businesses in areas of mergers, acquisitions, antitrust/competition law and also international law.

 

In the past he has also advised pharmaceutical companies in areas of competition law and has obtained premerger approvals from the Competition Commission of Pakistan for various international pharmaceutical companies and their Pakistani subsidiaries such as GlaxoSmithKline, Stiefel, Aspen Global, Bristol-Myers Squibb etc.

 

Taimur Mirza has also represented 12 commercial banks of Pakistan i.e. Allied Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, MCB Bank Limited, United Bank Limited, Faysal Bank Limited Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Pakistan, Saudi Pak Bank Limited, Soneri Bank Limited, Crescent Commercial Bank Limited, Emirates Global Islamic Bank Limited, NIB Bank Limited, Dubai Islamic Bank (Pakistan) Limited; before the Competition Commission of Pakistan against charges of collusive practices and cartelization.

 

In 2009, he was Involved in the review and drafting of a credit reporting regulation for Afghanistan’s Central Bank (Da Afghanistan Bank) under the initiative of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group. He further prepared a consultation paper on the regulatory and legislative framework for the regulation of credit information sharing and reporting in Afghanistan for the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group.

 

In respect of tobacco control law, he has advised two multinational tobacco companies on the legal framework governing cigarette marketing and sale in Afghanistan. He has also advised a multinational tobacco company in respect of health warning legislation applicable in Pakistan and also on the law applicable on export of tobacco products to Afghanistan and GCC countries from Pakistan.

 

He also possesses particular expertise in power and energy and has been involved in various contentious and non-contentious matters pertaining to power projects.

 

While working with one of the leading law firms of Pakistan he obtained a prohibitory injunction from the High Court of Sindh restraining coercive recovery by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Government of Pakistan of disputed amount of Rs. 2.4 Billion on behalf of a telecommunication company as arrears of land revenue and also through the National Accountability Bureau.

 

He has also successfully obtained a decree of Rs. 850 Million from the High Court of Sindh against a defaulter textile mill on behalf of one of the largest commercial banks of Pakistan.

 

He has also handled the rescheduling of the entire outstanding debt of Dewan Sugar Mills and Dewan Textile Mills being approximately Rs. 5 Billion by 15 banks through the High Court of Sindh.

 

He also handled the restructuring of the debt amounting to Rs. 1.2 Billion of Dewan Cement Limited on behalf of the Bank of Punjab.

 

He has also handled the reduction of share capital of J P Morgan Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited by an amount of Rs. 656.5 Million and obtained the approval of the reduction from the High Court of Sindh.

 

Taimur Mirza has also handled the corporate restructuring of Feroze1888 Mills Limited; Feroze Textile Industries (Private) Limited; UTI Industries (Private) Limited; and Friendship (Private) Limited and obtained sanction of the same from the High court of Sindh.

 

At his previous firm, he regularly appeared on behalf of the said firm’s major clients namely, Telecard Limited, Wateen Telecom Limited, Worldcall Telecom Limited, K-Electric Limited, takaful companies, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., major banks and financial institutions etc.

 

His areas of expertise include Antitrust Law, Tax Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Company Law, Intellectual Property Law, Civil Litigation etc.

 

Qualifications:

• Advocate High Courts

• Bar Vocational Course (B.V.C.), Inns of Court School of Law, U.K.

• Bachelors of Laws (LL.B.), University of London, U.K.

• Post Graduate Diploma in Professional & Legal Skills (U.K.)

• BBA (Hons.), MBA (Institute of Business Administration, Karachi)

 

Memberships:

• The Honorable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, U.K.

• Sindh High Court Bar Association

• Karachi Bar Association

• Karachi Tax Bar Association

 

Taimur Mirza practices from the firm’s Karachi office and can be contacted at taimur.mirza@smmslegal.com.