The Firm of Bhandari Naqvi Riaz is recognised as one of Pakistan’s most qualified legal firms, providing comprehensive dispute resolution, advisory and transaction related services to a broad spectrum of clients.
It is one of the few law firms in the country to provide international dispute resolution services to its clients and has experience in dealing with international legal matters, including Investor-State Dispute Settlement, State-to-State Dispute Settlement, and other issues of Public International Law.
The Firm draws on the experience of its senior member, Mr. Karamat Nazir Bhandari, who has served as a Judge on benches of the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In addition, the Firm comprises the three name partners, Uzair Karamat Bhandari, Feisal Hussain Naqvi and Iftikharuddin Riaz, along with two partners, Mian Muhammad Kashif and Mian Sami ud Din, and an increasing number of associates. The Firm was first listed by the independent ranking agency Chambers and Partners of the UK as one of the leading law firms of Pakistan in 2004-5 when Chambers started covering Pakistan. For 2021, all three name partners have been individually named by Chambers (the Asia Pacific edition) as amongst the leading lawyers of the country. The three name partners have also received favourable reviews in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.
The business of the Firm was started in 1965 by Mr. Karamat Nazir Bhandari and continued under the name of Bhandari Law Associates till his elevation to the Bench in 1994. In 1997, the practice was taken over by his son, Uzair Karamat Bhandari after his return from Oxford University where he studied law as a Rhodes Scholar and completed his B.A. Honours in Jurisprudence and B.C.L. degrees. In 1998, the name of the Firm was changed to Bhandari & Naqvi to reflect the addition of Feisal Hussain Naqvi as a partner. After graduating from Princeton University and Yale Law School, Feisal Naqvi worked first as an associate at the New York office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. In 2003, the name of the Firm was again changed to Bhandari, Naqvi & Riaz to reflect the arrival of Iftikharuddin Riaz. After graduating from Oxford University, Iftikharuddin Riaz was called to the Bar from the Inner Temple. Iftikharuddin Riaz worked for a year as a lawyer in London before returning to practice in Pakistan.
In 2006, the Firm came full circle with the return of Mr. Karamat Nazir Bhandari from the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Mr. Karamat Nazir Bhandari continues to handle selected matters on an advisory basis. In 2011, the Firm proudly announced that Mian Mohammed Kashif had joined the Firm as a partner. Mian Kashif had earlier joined the Firm in 2005 and had since then worked as a senior associate. Mian Kashif graduated from the University of the Punjab with an LL.B. degree in 2001 after obtaining his bachelors degree from Government College, Lahore in 1999.
In 2013, the Firm merged with Haidermota & Co. to form Haidermota BNR & Co. The merger continued until April 2019 when the two firms decided to go their separate ways again. In 2016, Mian Sami ud Din joined Haidermota BNR & Co. as a senior associate. Mian Sami ud Din started practice in 2008 in London before returning to Pakistan in 2010 where he headed the Dispute Resolution department of a leading law firm before joining the Firm and becoming a partner in 2017.
