Umer Akram Chaudhry

Umer Akram Chaudhry has over 15 years of experience in handling a wide array of work in dispute resolution, transactional, and advisory practices. Qualified as an Advocate of the High Court in Pakistan and Attorney at Law in New York, his primary focus is on domestic and international dispute resolution. He has appeared as counsel before a variety of fora ranging from the Lahore High Court and the High Court of Sindh to international commercial courts and arbitral tribunals in litigations and arbitrations.

Umer started his career as a litigation lawyer at Raja Mohammed Akram & Co. in Lahore, Pakistan, where he was engaged in various commercial and constitutional cases. He was engaged in landmark constitutional cases before the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He also represented clients in regulatory matters before the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Competition Commission of Pakistan.

Later, Umer moved to Singapore and worked at Clyde & Co LLP and Rajah & Tann LLP, both internationally ranked amongst top-30 international arbitration practices. He was engaged in a breadth of cases arising from different common and civil law jurisdictions in South and South East Asia and Middle East. He was primarily involved in commercial, joint venture, shareholders, energy infrastructure, and hotel management disputes. He also worked with a well-known arbitrator in Singapore and assisted him in a number of international arbitrations around the world.

In addition to his disputes practice, Umer maintains and active advisory and transactional practice. He regularly advises businesses with respect to regulatory risks and affairs and represent them before regulatory bodies in Pakistan. He has also acted for clients in complex contractual negotiations, drafting, and execution and advised them during the performance stages and in settlement discussions.

Umer is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), where he delivers courses on international commercial arbitration and civil procedure. He writes on topics related to international arbitration and dispute resolution for various publications on regular basis and has been invited to various conferences to speak on legal issues. He is the co-author of the Pakistan Chapter of GAR Investment Treaty Know-How for the Global Arbitration Review and the Pakistan Chapter for the Global Arbitration Places Guide prepared by the Delos Dispute Resolution.

Umer has consistently been ranked as rising lawyer in Pakistan. He has been described as “one of the best newly coming litigators” (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2022) and has been commended for his “strong expertise in the areas of his practice” (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024), “practical and in-depth analysis on construction disputes in Pakistan” (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024), and the “knack for expressing legal matters clearly and concisely and succeeds in driving desired outcomes through strategic planning and dedicated effort” (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025).

• Successfully represented Wateen Telecom Ltd (from Pakistan) against SpaceCom International, LLC (from the United States) to resist recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award of around US$ 4.5 million (arising from satellite services agreement) issued under the DIFC-LCIA Rules in DIFC, Dubai, UAE before the Lahore High Court (SpaceCom International, LLC v Wateen Telecom Ltd 2024 LHC 5494)
• Successfully represented Metro Metals Northwest, Inc. (from the United States) against Mughal Iron & Steel Industries Ltd, a public listed company in Pakistan, for recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award of around US$ 2.5 million issued under the ICDR Rules in the United States before the Lahore High Court (Metro Metals Northwest, Inc. v Mughal Iron & Steel Industries Ltd COS 42300 of 2022)
• Represented Orient Power Company (Pvt) Ltd, an independent power purchaser, against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd, a public utilities company, for recognition and enforcement of a foregin arbitral award of around PKR 800 million (arising from gas supply agreement) issued under the LCIA Rules in London before the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan (Orient Power Company (Pvt) Ltd v SNGPL PLD 2019 Lahore 607; Orient Power Company (Pvt) Ltd v SNGPL 2021 SCMR 1728)
• Successfully represented Rolls Royce Power Systems AG and MTU Middle East FZE in proceedings related to the termination of service partnership agreement with the local service partner in Pakistan before the High Court of Sindh (System Company v MTU Middle East FZE PLD 2019 Sindh 382)
• Successfully represented Hi-Tech Lubricants Ltd in regulatory proceedings initiated by a complaint filed by Chevron Pakistan Lubricants (Pvt) Ltd for alleged deceptive marketing practices before the Competition Commission of Pakistan leading to dismissal of the enquiry report (Show Cause Notice issued to Hi-Tech Lubricants Ltd 2021 CLD 592)
• Represented a Singaporean company against a consortium of private equity firms in two SIAC arbitrations (with seat in Singapore and governed by Singapore laws) for an estimated claim and counterclaim of around US$600 million, involving construction of two major power projects in a South Asian country, arising from shareholders’ agreements (Confidential)
• Represented a US company against a Myanmar company in HKIAC arbitration (with seat in Singapore and governed by Myanmar laws) arising from a 25-year term hotel management agreement governed by Myanmar law (Confidential)
• Represented a leading real estate company in Pakistan in an arbitration against a company from the Cayman Islands arising from an aircraft sale and purchase agreement conducted under the rules of the Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution in Geneva and governed by the laws of Switzerland (Confidential)
• Representing a Pakistani public listed company against a UAE-based company in LCIA arbitration (with its seat in London and governed by English laws) for a claim of around US$ 2.5 million arising out of a contract for sale and purchase of fertilizer (Confidential)
• Acted as a member of the dispute adjudication board in a power project infrastructure dispute of around US$ 80 million between a Pakistani employer and a Chinese contractor arising from EPC Contract (based on FIDIC standard form contract) governed by the laws of Pakistan (Confidential)