The firm was founded in 1948 in Karachi by two British Barristers, Charles Surridge and Peter Beecheno. Both the founding partners had a family history of legal practice in Rangoon (Burma) going back to the middle of the 19th century. Over the years the firm expanded and inducted several Pakistani partners and opened branch offices in Lahore and Chittagong in the then East Pakistan. The firm now has four partners and about twenty five associates. Its principal office is at Karachi and it has a branch office at Lahore.
Areas of Emphasis and Growth: The firm undertakes all forms of Civil and Commercial work both Contentious and Non-Contentious. Its particular strengths are advice on and implementation of Foreign Investment Proposals, Corporate Law, Commercial Contracts, Building and Engineering Contracts, Admiralty and Shipping, Intellectual Property, Petroleum Laws, Banking and Finance, Aviation, Industrial Relations. The firm regularly represents its clients in all civil courts and before local and international arbitral tribunals.
Client Base: The firm has wide-ranging corporate clientele including international financial institutions, banks, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies and airlines. In addition the firm is the Karachi representative of a number of P & I Clubs based in the United Kingdom and Japan. The firm also has a corresponding relationship with major New York and London firms. A list of representative clients appears at the end of this entry.
Bar Associations: All partners and associates are members of the Bar Association and/or High Court Bar Association of Karachi and Lahore; International Bar Association; Asia Pacific Bar Association.
Significant Distinctions: A number of the partners are directors on the boards of some of Pakistan's largest public companies and of many multinational private companies. They also assist and advise by their presence on the boards of various charitable institutions.
A partner in the firm, Mr. Justice (Retd.) Saleem Akhtar, was elevated to the Bench of Sindh High Court and later to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and retired as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. About two years after his retirement, he accepted the invitation to rejoin the firm as a consultant. He was acting as consultant when he accepted appointment as the Federal Tax Ombudsman, which office he still holds.
