RAZA RAHMAN

Partner

Email raza.rahman@lexiumlaw.com

Phone + 92-42 35870961 to 63

Education

LL.M. London School of Economics and Political Science – 1999

LL.B. (Honours) London School of Economics and Political Science – 1998

Bar

Advocate, High Courts of Pakistan – 2001

Advocate, Pakistan – 1999

Biography

Raza is one of the founding partners of Lexium, and the head of the firm’s banking and finance practice. His core area of expertise is project and asset finance (particularly in the energy, aviation, telecommunication and entertainment sectors), capital facilities, restructuring of loans, syndicated lending, as well as general commercial banking. He has experience in representing both international and local lenders as well as borrowers.

Raza has been ranked by Chambers and Partners as a leading banking and finance lawyer of Pakistan. The Chambers Asia Pacific Guide 2023 states that “Raza Rahman provides great service and is a very strong adviser with a good sense of commercial awareness and great availability” and commends him as “an exceptional legal and commercial talent”.

Raza’s extensive professional experience also includes aviation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, employment, intellectual property and private clients. He has previously worked with Hassan & Hassan (Advocates) and Mandviwalla & Zafar (Advocates), two of the leading firms in Pakistan as well as with the former Supervision Committee for the Expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport in connection with several of its infrastructure projects relating to the expansion of airports in the United Arab Emirates.

Outside law, Raza regularly appears as a legal analyst and commentator on several leading television channels in Pakistan, and has also written for leading national newspapers on various aspects of public international law. He has lectured on public international law, business law and contract law at leading academic institutions in Pakistan as well as the Punjab Judicial Academy.

Raza is also currently a Member-Central, South and South East Asia for the London School of Economics Alumni Association Regional Liaison Sub-Committee. He was previously the founding London School of Economics Group Leader for Lahore. In 2019, the London School of Economics awarded the Outstanding Alumni Volunteer Award to Raza in recognition of his long standing services to his alma mater and its global alumni network.

In his free time, Raza enjoys traveling, reading and watching films .

Some of Raza’s work highlights include:

Acting as counsel to Guarantco Ltd. in a cross-border contingent capital facility of US$ 50 million to Infrazamin Pakistan Limited.
Acting as counsel to Hyundai Nishat Motor (Private) Limited Pakistan in a Musharaka Islamic finance facility of PKR 5.6 billion (US$ 43 million approx.) from Meezan Bank Limited for setting up a Hyundai car assembly plant in Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to the sponsors in their buy-back of 5.49% shares in MCB Bank from Bugis Investments (Mauritius) Pte Ltd.
Acting as counsel to IGI Investments (Private) Limited in its series seed funding in the Mahaana wealth start-up.
Acting as counsel to Jomo Technologies (Private) Limited in structuring the employee shareholding transfer scheme.
Acting as counsel to US International Development Finance Corporation (previously OPIC) in an international project finance transaction of US$ 7 million to Kashf Foundation, a leading microfinance institution of Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to US International Development Finance Corporation (previously OPIC) in an international project finance transaction of US$ 9 million to Cinepax a leading chain of cinemas in Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to Guarantco for provision of credit support by way of a PKR 3.12 billion cross-border guarantee to Byco Oil Pakistan Limited for its Islamic Sukuk bonds.
Acting as counsel to Guarantco for provision of credit support by way of a PKR 966 million cross-border guarantee to Mobilink for its Islamic Sukuk bonds for its 3G license.
Acting as counsel to US International Development Finance Corporation (previously OPIC)in an international project finance transaction of US$ 3.5 million to TPL Trakker, a leading transportation cargo security business in Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to a GCC branch of a leading Pakistani bank in a cross-border US$ 6.7 million refinancing of a Gulfstream G150 corporate jet registered in Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to Nishat Agriculture Farming (Private) Limited in its cross-border joint venture with SUTAS SUT URUNLERI to set up a dairy products manufacturing and distribution business in Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to the Pakistani subsidiary of Hassad Foods Qatar in a US$ 2 million acquisition, and then its eventual sale, of a rice processing facility in Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to a leading Pakistani petroleum company in the due diligence for acquisition of several upstream petroleum assets in Pakistan.
Acting as counsel to Wateen Telecom in the merger of its WiMax broadband business in Pakistan.

Languages

English, Urdu, Punjabi.