Founder & President, CIICA
Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan
Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)
Managing Partner, Triage Law
Member, New York Bar
Member, Approved Faculty List (AFL) of CIArb
LL.M. Columbia University, New York
Member, Panel of Arbitrators, European Court of Arbitration (Irish Branch)
Member, Panel of Arbitrators, Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA)
Arbitrator, Hangzhou Arbitration Commission (HAC)
CAREER SUMMARY
Rana Sajjad is a dual-qualified lawyer (licensed in New York and Pakistan) having over 20 years’ experience of practicing law in Pakistan and the U.S. in practice areas including contracts, cross-border transactions, commercial litigation and domestic and international arbitration. Sajjad has acted as co-counsel in international arbitration proceedings including arbitration proceedings under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Dubai International Financial Centre – London Court of International Arbitration (DIFC-LCIA) and the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC). He has also advised and represented clients in court proceedings in connection with the enforcement of international arbitration agreements and foreign arbitral awards. Sajjad also advises clients in the energy, technology, telecom, manufacturing and construction sectors and represents them before courts and arbitral tribunals in matters involving contractual, commercial and investment disputes.
Sajjad is the Managing Partner of the Lahore-based law firm of Triage Law and the Founder & President of the Center for International Investment and Commercial Arbitration (CIICA), Pakistan’s first international arbitration center,
Sajjad had the honor of being appointed by the Government of Pakistan as a member of a Working Group comprising around 20 international arbitration lawyers to analyze Pakistan’s International Investment Regime and provide recommendations.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and the first lawyer based in Pakistan who became a member of CIArb’s Approved Faculty List (AFL) as a tutor for international arbitration law, practice and procedure. He has taught international commercial arbitration to LL.M. students and conducted training workshops on arbitration for law students at leading universities in Pakistan, for lawyers at the Lahore High Court, for engineers at the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and for Commercial Court Judges at the Punjab Judicial Academy.
Sajjad is a global speaker and has spoken at conferences in China, Malaysia and the U.S. He has also written extensively on international arbitration and his articles/commentaries have been published in all major English newspapers in Pakistan and the International Journal of Arab Arbitration (IJAA). He is also a contributing author of the book titled “Force Majeure and Hardship in the Asia Pacific Region” published by JURIS, one of the world’s leading legal publishers specializing in international law.
BAR ADMISSIONS
New York; Pakistan
MEMBERSHIP OF PANELS OF ARBITRATORS
Arbitrator, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration and Mediation Center Jan, 2024 – Present
Member, Panel of Arbitrators, Asian International Arbitration Centre Aug 2023 – Present
Member, Panel of Arbitrators, European Court of Arbitration (Irish Branch) Mar 2020 – Present
Arbitrator, Hangzhou Arbitration Commission Nov 2019 – Present
Member, Panel of Arbitrators, Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration Feb 2019 – Present
CERTIFICATIONS
· Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb); Passed the international arbitration award writing exam with a 98% score for judicial merit.
· Accredited Mediator, Singapore International Mediation Institute (SIMI)
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- “Enhance exchanges and mutual trust, establish cooperation platforms, and make the Silk Road a rule of law”, China-Central Asia Arbitration Forum, Urumqi, China, November 2023
- “Role of ADR Centers: Perspectives from Regional Institutions”, South and Central Asia Alternative Dispute Resolution Symposium, Colombo, Sri Lanka, October 2022
- “International Arbitration under the Belt and Road Initiative” (Online event organized by Beijing Zhizhong Technology Co. Ltd., June, 2021
- “Arbitration related developments in Pakistan – The Way Forward” (Online event organized by SAARC Arbitration Council, April, 2021
- “A New Dawn in the Post Pandemic World – Emerging Arbitration Trends in Asia” The ADR World Tour 2021 (Online event organized by The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, January, 2021
- “BRI State of Play of Disputes: Markets and Trends” Delos Global Arbitration Review (GAR) Symposium (Online event organized by Delos Dispute Resolution, November, 2020
- “2020 High Level Dialogue on International Commercial Arbitration among OBOR Countries” (Online event co-organized by the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), October, 2020
- “Global Perspectives for a Changing ADR Landscape”, (Online event organized by the New York State Bar Association, May 2020
- “Arbitration Serving Belt and Road Finance and Infrastructure Construction”, Belt and Road Arbitration Institutions Roundtable Forum, Beijing, China, November 2019
- “Global Investment and Cross Border E-Commerce Trade Under the “Belt and Road” Initiative: Dispute Resolution Mechanism”, The 3rd Cross Border E-Commerce and “the Belt and Road” International Trade Dispute Resolution Forum, Hangzhou, China, October 2019
- “The Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators 5th Annual Law Review & Conference”, Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, August 2018
- “Vision for Justice: 2027”, 3rd Provincial Judicial Conference, Sindh Judicial Academy, Karachi, January 2018
- “Innovation and Improvement in the Service of E-Commerce Dispute Settlement”, The 2nd Global Cross-Border E-Commerce Summit, Hangzhou, China, November 2017
- “Roundtable Conference on Arbitration 2016”, Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, December 2016
- “Comparative Study on Legal Education and Ethics in Two Islamic Neighbor Countries: Current Situation and Future Perspectives”, International Legal Ethics Conference VII 2016, Fordham University, New York, July 2016
- “Contracts in International Trade and Commerce”, Karachi Chamber of Commerce, Karachi, September 2015
TRAINING WORKSHOPS/COURSES
- “Global Experience in Commercial Dispute Resolution”, Capacity Building and Training Workshop for Commercial and Overseas Court Judges organized by Punjab Judicial Academy in collaboration with the World Bank Group and P&D Department (PIU), Punjab Judicial Academy, Lahore, September 2020
- “Introduction to International Arbitration”, Introductory lecture organized by the University College Lahore (UCL) in collaboration with ADR ODR International and ADR Initiative, UCL, Lahore, October 2019
- “Handling Domestic and International Arbitration”, Training workshop on domestic and international arbitration, NUST, Islamabad, May 2019
- “HR Confluence 2018”, Workshop on negotiation strategies and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Methods, LUMS, Lahore, April 2018
- “Arbitration and Legal Drafting” Lahore High Court Bar Association training workshop, Lahore High Court, Lahore October 2017
- “Written Advocacy in International Arbitration”, Young International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) training workshop, LUMS, Lahore, April 2017
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- “If you build it, they will come: The story of institutional arbitration in Pakistan and CIICA’s 9-year journey” (The American Review of International Arbitration, April, 2024)
- “Metaverse’s First Arbitration Proceeding” (The American Review of International Arbitration, September, 2023)
- “Pro-Arbitration Revisited: A Tribute to Professor George Bermann from his Students Over the Years” – Contributing author of article/chapter titled “What does it mean to be Pro-Arbitration – An examination of Pakistani judiciary’s approach”; April, 2023
- “Blockchain Arbitration: Promises and Perils” (The American Review of International Arbitration, March 2023)
- “Arbitration Story Time” (The American Review of International Arbitration, February 2023)
- “Reimagining Webinars” (The American Review of International Arbitration, October 2022)
- “Force Majeure and Hardship in the Asia Pacific Region” (January, 2022) – Contributing author of the Pakistan chapter – Book published by JURIS, one of the world’s leading legal publishers specializing in international law.
- “Pakistan’s $6 billion mistake” (The Nation, August 2019)
-
Pakistan’s Experience in International Investment Arbitration and Corruption Claims Legal Framework for International Arbitration and Seminal Judgments of the Supreme Court” (International Journal of Arab Arbitration Volume 11 – No. (2) 2019;
- BRI and CPEC: Dispute resolution mechanisms” (Tribune, March 2018)
- Pakistan’s Legal Framework for International Arbitration and Seminal Judgments of the Supreme Court” (International Journal of Arab Arbitration Volume 9 – No. (2) 2017;
- “CPEC: ABCs of commercial investment dispute resolution” (Tribune, November 2017);
- “The disaster of international arbitration of RPPs” (Tribune, September 2017);
- “Reko Diq case” (Dawn, April, 2017);
- “Legal ramifications of India’s unilateral withdrawal from IWT” (Tribune, Oct 2016);
- “Reko Diq arbitration: Can there be a settlement?” (Tribune, Aug 2015);
- “Importance of international arbitration” (Tribune, May 2015);
- “Amending laws to allow Chinese investment” (Tribune; Jan 2014);
- “Reko Diq: the other side” (Dawn, Feb 2013);
- “Reko Diq muddle” (Tribune, Feb 2012)