Partner
Ahnaf Chowdhury
LL.B. (Hons.), London School of Economics & Political Science, UK
BPTC-PgDL, BPP University Law School, UK
Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn)
Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Ahnaf Chowdhury completed his LL.B (Hons.) from the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) where he was awarded an undergraduate scholarship. After completing his law degree Ahnaf undertook the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) from BPP University Law School in London and was Called to the Bar of England & Wales from the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, UK.
Ahnaf worked as an Associate of eminent jurist Dr. Kamal Hossain where he advised and represented local and international clients across the firm’s core practice areas. Ahnaf has worked as co-counsel with senior counsel in representing clients before the Appellate Division and the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in landmark cases. Ahnaf advises and represents clients before the Magistrates’ Courts, District and Sessions Courts as well as the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in a wide range of civil/commercial and criminal disputes.
In recent times, Ahnaf has acted as lead counsel for a range of local and international clients, providing legal opinions in contentious and non-contentious matters in areas including arbitration, aviation, corporate & commercial (including M&A), constitutional & administrative, employment, securities, energy & infrastructure, taxation and telecommunications laws.
Ahnaf has experience in structuring in-bound private equity deals, foreign direct investments/acquisitions, divestments, power sector projects, conducting legal and regulatory due-diligence on target companies for cross-border acquisitions, oil and gas related regulatory and legal issues (including representation and liaison with relevant regulatory authorities), structuring and advising assignment/transfer of production sharing contracts (PSCs), advising on international financing transactions, drafting and perfecting security instruments/documents in such transactions as well as structuring and reviewing relevant project agreements.
In 2016 Ahnaf served as a Legal Consultant and Claims Reviewer to the Tazreen Claims Administration Trust (TCAT) under the leadership of Dr. Mojtaba Kazazi (an international law practitioner, arbitrator and former Executive Head of the UN Compensation Commission). TCAT was an ad-hoc mass claims processing scheme for compensating the victims of the Tazreen Garments Factory fire in Dhaka, funded by several international donors.
Ahnaf was also engaged as a Consultant for Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) to advise on road traffic, safety and transportation laws. He has participated in stakeholder discussions on various platforms regarding the road safety issue on behalf of BLAST in addition to advising on legal and policy reform in the area.
Ahnaf has contributed to various World Bank reports, international jurisdictional surveys and assisted in the preparation of the ICCA Handbook on International Commercial Arbitration (Bangladesh Chapter), published by Kluwer Law International.
