A practice built from the inside
Thirty-four years within Pakistan's central bank and its largest commercial banks — now working for you.
0
Years Experience
0
Practice Areas
0
Major Banking Institutions
MAS & Associates office
Our Story
Excellence in law, led by decades inside the institutions we now advise.
MAS & Associates was founded on a simple premise: that the best banking and corporate counsel comes from lawyers who have sat on the other side of the table. Led by Muhammad Akram Sawleh, the firm draws on direct experience within the State Bank of Pakistan and the country's largest commercial banks.
That vantage point shapes everything we do. When a client brings us a regulatory question, we are not reading the circular for the first time — we have worked inside the institutions that write and enforce them. When a facility agreement lands on our desk, we know which clauses a credit committee will fight for and which are negotiable.
Today the practice spans intellectual property, corporate governance, taxation, real estate and dispute resolution alongside its banking core — but the approach has not changed. We give advice grounded in how banks, regulators and courts actually behave, not just how the law reads on paper.
Former counsel to Bank Alfalah, Habib Bank Limited & Standard Chartered
Deep institutional experience at the State Bank of Pakistan
Specialist expertise in intellectual property & corporate governance
What Guides Us
Three commitments we don't compromise on.
Clarity Over Complexity
Legal advice is worthless if you can't act on it. We explain your position in plain terms, name the risks honestly, and tell you what we would do in your place.
Commercial Judgement
Every matter sits inside a business. We weigh cost, timing and relationships alongside the legal merits, because the technically correct answer is not always the right one.
Direct Partner Access
The lawyer you meet is the lawyer who handles your matter. Files are not passed down a chain, and you always know who is accountable for the next step.
Leadership
The people behind the practice.
Muhammad Akram Sawleh
Muhammad Akram Sawleh
Founding Partner · Advocate, Supreme Court
"The law is only useful when it's applied with the same rigor a bank applies to risk."
Muhammad Akram Sawleh has spent thirty-four years in banking and corporate law, beginning at the State Bank of Pakistan and continuing through senior legal roles at Union Bank, Standard Chartered, Habib Bank Limited and Bank Alfalah. That path gave him something most external counsel never acquire: a working knowledge of how regulators supervise, how credit committees decide, and how disputes actually unfold once a bank is on the other side.
He advises on banking regulation, corporate governance, intellectual property and complex commercial disputes, and appears before the superior courts. Several of his matters have been reported in the Corporate Law Digest.
Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan — enrolled 9 February 2023
Advocate, High Courts — enrolled 28 June 1999
Life Member, Supreme Court Bar Association
LLB, University Law College, Punjab University, Lahore
Organizational Competence Award, State Bank of Pakistan — granted twice
Specialist practice: banking regulation, corporate governance & intellectual property
Owais Ahmed Siddiqui
Owais Ahmed Siddiqui
Partner · Advocate, High Court
"Clients don't need more law — they need a clear path through it."
Owais Ahmed Siddiqui brings close to a decade of practice across admiralty, corporate, taxation, banking, civil and constitutional matters. His breadth is deliberate: commercial problems rarely arrive labelled by practice area, and clients benefit from counsel who can see the tax exposure inside a restructuring or the constitutional angle in a regulatory challenge.
He leads much of the firm's litigation workload and is the first point of contact for clients navigating tax assessments, property disputes and contractual claims.
Advocate, High Court of Sindh
Admiralty & shipping matters
Taxation assessments, appeals & compliance
Civil, constitutional & commercial litigation
The Team
The people working alongside him.
Full Name
Associate Advocate
Corporate & banking matters
Full Name
Associate Advocate
Litigation & representation
Full Name
Tax Consultant
Assessments, appeals & compliance
Full Name
Legal Associate
Property & conveyancing
Full Name
Company Secretarial Associate
Governance & statutory filings
Full Name
Client Liaison
Scheduling & case correspondence
The Journey
Thirty-four years across practice and banking.
Practicing
1992 — 1993
Practice in the Civil Courts
Independent Practice
1996 — 2000
Associate Lawyer
Raja Muhammad Akram & Company
2000 — 2002
Independent Practice
Own Practice
2014 — 2015
Senior Advocate
Ali & Associates
2015 — 2018
Senior Partner
Private Law Firm
2025 — Today
Founding Partner
MAS & Associates
Banking
1994 — 1996
Inspecting Officer, Banking Inspection
State Bank of Pakistan
2002 — 2005
Legal Counsel, Banking Policy Department
State Bank of Pakistan
2005 — 2007
Company Secretary & Legal Advisor
Union Bank Limited
2007
Head of Employee Relations & Operational Risk
Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan)
2007 — 2014
Chief Legal Counsel
Habib Bank Limited
2018 — 2025
Company Secretary & Group Head Legal
Bank Alfalah Limited
How We Work
A clear path, from first call to resolution.
01
Consultation
We start by understanding your situation in full — no assumptions, no boilerplate advice.
02
Strategy
A clear legal strategy built around your commercial priorities, not just the letter of the law.
03
Representation
Rigorous representation in negotiations, filings, or the courtroom — whatever the matter demands.
04
Resolution
A resolution you understand fully, with ongoing counsel available as your situation evolves.
Recognition
A record built on institutional trust.
Organizational Competence Award, State Bank of Pakistan — granted twice, for 2003–04 and 2004–05
Life Member, Supreme Court Bar Association
Cases reported in the Corporate Law Digest — 2015 CLD 1162 and 2015 CLD 1384
Three plaques from HBL's Retail Banking Group for outstanding contribution — 2011, 2012 and 2013
Shield of Excellence, HBL Consumer Banking Group, 2008
Invited speaker, Company Secretary Conference 2006, Kuala Lumpur
Bring us the matter you've been putting off.
A first consultation costs you nothing but the time to explain the situation.
Chat with us on WhatsApp