S. Ali Raza Shah

Syed Ali Raza is a lawyer and rule of law expert based in Pakistan. He is a Draper Hills Fellow from the Stanford University, USA; Legislative Fellow of the US State Department; and an LL.M. Graduate in International and Comparative Laws from the National University of Singapore. He also attended the prestigious Bucerius Summer School of Law & Global Governance in Hamburg, Germany and completed Leadership Academy for Development Program at the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia. He is also a Certified Independent Director of Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance after completing training from Lahore University of Management and Sciences. He has also attended the prestigious National Security Workshop from National Defence University of Pakistan. Ali is a Managing Partner at Common Law Chambers, a complete service firm that provides legal, transactional and policy solutions under one roof to clients from both public and private sector. He frequently ensures representation before higher judicial forums and has been part of several important cases of the country. He has expertise in handling delicate corporate matters, providing transaction advisory services and carrying out complex negotiation. He has taught at country’s largest university; continues to be a visiting faculty member at one of the leading law colleges of Pakistan for University of London LL.M. Program; and was associated with the Punjab Judicial Academy for training of judges. To his specific credit, Ali has successfully handled legal interests of one of the global telecom giants in Pakistan; developed legal feasibilities for leading aviation and infrastructure companies of Turkey; conducted legal due diligence for setting up of software technology park in Pakistan; developed OHS and Environmental Law Compliance Register for Swedish Group; remained National Legal Consultant of ILO; extended legal support to an international health services organization; drafted Local Government Legal Landscape of Pakistan for USIP; and also mapped legal and policy canvas of Energy Sector in Pakistan for revamping of a public utility agency. Ali has thorough understanding of constitutional, administrative and judicial frameworks of Pakistan. He drafted several legal reports, authored specialized opinions and rendered expert opinions on human rights and civil matters individually and in collaboration with global consulting companies. Ali has also briefly held a cabinet portfolio in Punjab and been a Member and Legal Advisor at Public Affairs Unit of Chief Minister’s Office of Punjab in the largest province of Pakistan. He provided strategic legal and policy support to top political leadership, ministers, rank government officials; and to various institutional reforms taskforces, working groups and committees etc. in wide range of areas including criminal justice system, heritage conservation, urban planning, youth & sports and environment. Ali played a significant role in finalizing key legislations that focused on conservation of heritage sites; labour laws; accountability; youth and sports development; wildlife; and preparation of commercialization policy for the mega city of Lahore.

He has been the youngest member of a statutory board that engaged youth through sports and has been serving as an elected director on the Board of one of the oldest and leading listed companies of Pakistan. He has thorough knowledge of Sugar and Distillery Sectors as well. Earlier, as a Legislative Fellow of the US State Department, Ali worked for the Office of 1st Ward Alderman in Chicago and assisted in contextualizing legislation regarding regulation of plastic bags and submitted opinion on Chicago Infrastructure Trust Plan. Moreover, in recognition of his successful legal reforms work in the Punjab Solicitor’s Department, UN selected him to represent Pakistan in Young Leaders in Governance Program at Bangkok, Thailand. As a young lawyer and human rights activist, Ali received an award from the Punjab Bar Council in 2008. He also represented Pakistan at the WISCOMP Conflict Transformation Forum in New Delhi, India.

In 2009, he worked as a forum assistant for the Supreme Court of Singapore’s Asia Pacific Judicial Reforms Conference. He was a Member and Youth Law Minister in the first ever Youth Parliament of Pakistan, an initiative of PILDAT. Ali contribute to legal and public policy debate in Pakistan and Asia through various articles that appear in newspapers and international law journals. His paper on Religious Penal Clauses in Pakistan was presented at National University of Singapore which got published by Hart & Bloomberg in book titled “Religious Offences in Common Law Asia.”