Profile

Dr Piracha is a senior partner at Samdani & Qureshi, a niche entity providing, legal, tax, corporate advisory and Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) solutions from under one roof. Samdani & Qureshi is a collaborating firm of Andersen Global. She is the Chief Executive officer of the International Centre for Appropriate Dispute Resolution and Prevention (Pvt.) Ltd (ICADRP). ICADRP aims to facilitate access to justice through ADR, to provide a successful blend for improved access to justice and court services, and promote women in the practice of ADR.

She is a visiting lecturer at the International Islamic University of Pakistan and will commence teaching at other renowned universities in Pakistan in 2022. She is author of the book "Toward Uniformly Accepted Principles for Interpreting MFN Clauses: Striking a Balance Between Sovereignty and the Protection of Investors," published by Wolter Kluwer.

She has served both as counsel and arbitrator in international arbitrations and has advised on investment issues in cross border transactions. Dr Piracha is serving on the 8 member committee constituted by Pakistan for advising on International law and 12 member committee constituted to advise on investment state arbitration regime in Pakistan.

Dr Piracha is a Fulbright scholar, a Weinstein JAMS International Fellow for 2018, and the first lawyer from Pakistan to become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK (FCIArb). She is the first woman in Pakistan to have qualified as an S.J.D., and an alumna of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In a career stretching over seventeen years, she has worked as counsel in the field of ADR in arbitrations before ICSID, ICC, SCC, DFIC-LCIA, Ad Hoc tribunals, and rose to partnership at the leading Pakistani firm, Samdani & Qureshi. She is a Solicitor Advocate of England and Wales besides being a Member of the High Court Bar of Pakistan. She was nominated to the panel of arbitrators of ICSID by Pakistan in 2018 and served as a member of an Ad Hoc Committee of ICSID in relation to annulment proceedings in a dispute between a British national and State of Sri Lanka.

She has extensive experience in cross border transactions and training in ADR, mediation, negotiation, and arbitrations from most prestigious universities and organizations.