Following an extensive nomination process, Asia Business Law Journal reveals the top lawyers in the country. Byung Jin Park and Miran Lim report
Bangladesh is the eighth-most populous country in the world, and fifth in Asia. With increases in GDP per capita and real income, the country is poised for significant economic growth, including the activation of its domestic market.
Bangladesh is currently the world’s second-largest exporter of garments, behind China, making the economy vulnerable to external shocks such as rising import costs for raw materials and declining global demand. Nonetheless, thanks to low labour costs and an abundant workforce, the country continues to experience strong growth and is on track to graduate from least developed country status by 2026, according to a WTO public forum in 2024.
With Bangladesh’s economy highly dependent on the garment industry, Bangladeshi law firms are expected to play an important role in helping the country diversify its exports and markets.
In particular, signing free-trade agreements with various countries to enhance the stability of trade in goods and improve access to international markets is emerging as a key agenda for Bangladesh’s economic growth. This is partly because Bangladesh will lose its trade preferences once it graduates from least developed country status.
Against this promising backdrop, Asia Business Law Journal proudly presents its A-List of the top 50 lawyers practising in Bangladesh. The A-List is based on extensive research conducted and nominations received from in-house counsel based in Bangladesh and elsewhere, as well as partners at international law firms.
Versatility
Bangladesh has a complex legal system that combines elements of colonial British law, local peculiarities, and Islamic jurisprudence. As a result, comments from clients to ABLJ show a clear preference for lawyers who are versatile and well-rounded, and able to navigate this complex legal market when advising clients.
One of them is Khan Khalid Adnan, a managing partner at Khan Saifur Rahman & Associates. He is nominated by Shadman Sakib, the founder and CEO of S99 Corp, a leading e-commerce company located in Dhaka.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed by [Adnan’s] work and leadership at Khan Saifur Rahman & Associates,” says Sakib. “He brings exceptional legal skill across so many important areas – from complex corporate and financial matters to high-stakes litigation and international arbitration.”
Saif Alam, assistant vice president at Southeast Bank located in Dhaka, also acknowledges Adnan’s deep knowledge and experience in his area of practice. “He uses his time to get deep into the case, listen to the client’s problems and detail very attentively with his team,” says Alam. “He never promises anything that he can’t do, but rather tries his level best to solve the problem and get a positive verdict for the client within ethical standards.”
Adnan is also praised by Tawhid Ridgwan Razzaque, the co-founder and technical director at OTOMATIC, a software support company located in Dhaka, for his deep legal insight, integrity and meticulous preparation that helped them win a complex software copyright case.
“His honest assessment, proactive communication and court presence were truly exceptional,” says Razzaque. “I felt safe, informed and empowered throughout the process, thanks to him and his professional team.”
Shanjid Siddique, the head of practice at Shanjid Siddique & Jurists, is another lawyer lauded for his versatility. Ferdousi Begum, the founder of Junior Laboratory Welfare Trust in Dhaka, shares how Siddique has served as their external legal adviser for more than a decade.
“He is knowledgeable about diverse areas of law, ranging from criminal law to corporate law matters,” says Begum. “He has outstanding advocacy skills and adheres to professional etiquette. [Siddique] can be relied upon on any legal issues, whether it concerns litigation or an opinion on corporate compliance. In addition, he is responsive and proactive, which is essential for our business as we can reach him as and when required.”
Al Amin, a senior executive for legal at BSRM Group of Companies in Dhaka, agrees with Begum. “[Siddique] is very much a professional and dedicated lawyer in the legal arena. He is good at legal drafting and has vast knowledge overall on all kinds of laws.”
“We at BSRM Group have engaged in many cases such as customs and VAT, as well as writ cases, and he has ensured satisfactory services to us,” says Amin. “He is an expert lawyer and maintains professionalism in his service, and does legal research for ensuring quality service to his clients.”
Faithful to the basics
Based on the comments received by ABLJ, lawyers who remain faithful to the basics – actively listening to clients and taking all feedback into account – are the most preferred.
Iftekhar Khan, a managing director at Bay Developments.com, a real estate development company based in Dhaka, praises Vertex Chambers’ managing partner, Junayed Chowdhury, for his client-focused approach.
“Over the years, [Chowdhury] has proven himself to be most sincere in his approach to finding solutions that are tailored to our unique needs as we grow and corporatise from an entrepreneur-run business,” says Khan.
Suhan Khan, a managing partner at Accord Chambers, has also been praised by his clients for being faithful to the basics. Cedric Scott, a legal director at Chevron in Dhaka, says he was impressed with Khan after working with him for nearly three years.
“[Khan] uses his written and oratorical skills to be a strong and effective advocate for his client’s positions,” says Scott. “He has been a great partner for my company as we look to his advice for evaluating and developing methods for assessing situations impacting our business in Bangladesh.”
This year’s A-List also attracted endorsements from abroad. Deepak Saxena, a managing partner at Legal Prism in Mumbai, speaks highly of Sakib Sikder of Jural Acuity for his expertise and contributions to corporate and commercial law in Bangladesh. Sikder recently obtained an interim order from the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in a winding-up petition for one of Legal Prism’s clients.
“[Sikder’s] dedication to protecting his clients’ interests and achieving their objectives has earned him a reputation as a trusted and skilled lawyer,” says Saxena.
The gurus
This year’s Bangladesh A-List features several leading legal figures in the market, recognised for their significant contributions to the sector.
One of them is Mamun Chowdhury, a senior partner at Accord Chambers, who played a critical role in the landmark Bashundhara Bitumen Plant Project, Bangladesh’s first and largest private bitumen facility.
As a lead adviser on land and contract matters, Chowdhury conducted exhaustive due diligence on the project’s extensive 25.5-hectare site, meticulously ensuring clear title, regulatory compliance and risk mitigation – an essential foundation for a USD200 million industrial project of national significance.
Beyond land matters, Chowdhury’s expertise in Bangladeshi contract law was pivotal in shaping the project’s legal architecture.
“[Chowdhury’s] work reflects the highest standards of quality, technical depth and client commitment,” says Mosaddek Hossain, the chief engineer at Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company in Dhaka. “His role as senior partner at Accord Chambers, combined with his enduring influence as a mentor and thought leader, has made him an essential figure in Bangladesh’s legal community.”
Another lawyer on the A-List is Omar H Khan, a managing partner and head of chambers at Legal Counsel, who is praised by Nuzhath Islam Mouri, a deputy legal manager at Summit Communications in Dhaka.
Mouri notes that Khan’s contribution to the Bangladeshi legal ecosystem extends into academia and thought leadership. “As a passionate educator, he has been involved in postgraduate legal education, sharing his knowledge in fields such as labour law, corporate law and industrial relations,” says Mouri. “His insights have shaped many aspiring lawyers and professionals in the legal fraternity.”
According to Mouri, Khan is also a prolific writer and a respected voice in legal journalism. “With over 250 publications and interviews, he continues to influence discourse on legal reforms and policy matters.
“He maintains a longstanding column in a leading English daily, where he provides practical legal advice and engages with the wider public on pressing legal issues. His authorship of multiple acclaimed legal publications, including both academic contributions and innovative legal storytelling, has further established his stature as a thought leader in the region.”
Compiling the A-List
The A-List is based on extensive research conducted by Asia Business Law Journal. To identify the top lawyers in Bangladesh, we turned to thousands of in-house counsel in the country and around the world – as well as partners at international law firms – and asked them to tell us which lawyers should make the cut.
A-List lawyers were defined on the nomination form as “lawyers who are currently the star performers of Bangladesh’s legal profession; the lawyers who are personally undertaking the country’s top legal work, crafting the most cutting-edge legal solutions to complex problems, and setting the highest standards in terms of quality, innovation and the ability to handle complex matters”.
All Bangladeshi private practice lawyers and foreign lawyers based in the country were automatically eligible for inclusion in the nomination process. There were no fees or any other requirements for entry.
