Head of Chambers
M. Imtiaz Farooq
Being trained at University of Oxford, Mr. Farooq has worked with leading counsels in the United Kingdom such as Dr. Fedelis Oditah of 3-4 South Square (top Insolvency Set; June – August 2004); Tosin Oguntayo of Hardwick Chambers (top Commercial Set; July 2005); Stephen Horan of Erskine Chambers (top Company Law Set; August 2005). He is an expert in Corporate and Project Finance and Investment, Bankruptcy and Insolvency. He has published in the field of Project Finance, Intellectual Property, International Commercial Arbitration and Commercial Property Disputes. He is presently an advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and has made submissions before all Courts in Bangladesh including the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
He also lectured on English property law in University of Cardiff, UK (July 2006- March 2008) from where he also obtained a First Class in LL.B as an undergraduate; and University of Leicester, UK (October 2004 – May 2006).
Mr. Farooq has developed a niche practice in advising clients on international arbitration, corporate structuring, public and private mergers and acquisitions, both domestic and cross-border; joint ventures and inward investment, investment funds, and tax issues in Bangladesh and large scale private development and investment projects secured through various financing models including formation of SPVs, Syndicated loan arrangements, Securitisation etc.
Mr Farooq regularly advises various clients including International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank, Deutsche Investitions-unde Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, UNESCAP and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Mr Farooq, in 2009, concluded a reform oriented research on International Arbitration and its impact on Investment Climate of Bangladesh. The project was funded by International Finance Corporation (IFC). The research report comparatively analyses the best practices of promoting investment through appropriate dispute settlement system, endeavours to highlight the shortcomings in the approach of GOB in this regard and proposes extensive reforms of related legislations and infrastructure.
Mr Farooq has represented Petrobangla and People’s Republic of Bangladesh in an investment dispute before International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in a multi-million dollar investment dispute in the energy sector.
He is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Before joining practice in Bangladesh he was a lecturer at University of Cardiff teaching property law and trusts. He graduated from Cardiff University, UK and completed his post graduate from University of Oxford, UK.
Mr Farooq has rich experience in Project Finance and Banking and advises Bangladesh’s leading corporate and financial institution on infrastructure projects and also international lenders such as IFC, ADB, FMO, DEG, CDC in similar transactions.
He has several international publications on various aspects of property law, including security creation and enforcement.
BCL (Oxford)
Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn, UK)
Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh