NAME

M. AMIR-UL ISLAM
Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn)

NAME OF THE FIRM

Amir & Amir Law Associates

PROFESSION

SENIOR COUNSEL &
HEAD OF THE CHAMBER, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

DATE OF BIRTH

2ND JANUARY, 1937

Years in Law Practice

Since 1961 – Present.

YEARS WITH LAW FIRMS

1964 ONWARDS

NATIONALITY

BANGLADESH

A.

a)

January 1979 – Present

Senior Partner and Head of the Chamber: "Amir & Amir Law Associates” of Bangladesh: Resuming Corporate Practice as the Senior Lawyer of the Company and Practicing as Barrister having a standing as the Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and rendering legal consultancy services to different government, autonomous, private and International Organizations;

Consultancy and court practice in Administrative and Judicial Review, Constitutional Law, enforcement of human rights and in Public Interest Litigation, International Trade, Documentary Credits, Joint Venture, Project Finance, loan agreement and documentation, Company, Commercial, Equity & Securities Regulations, Finance & Banking, Admiralty, Shipping, Trademark, Corporate, Arbitration, Claim Recovery and General Practice.

b)

Standing legal counsel for various national and international financing Institutions including the Bangladesh Central Bank, and for various multinational corporations; has been the legal Counsel for the Parliament advising on Constitution and legal issues, drafting the Charter for the ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN PARLIAMENTS FOR PEACE: drafted the Millennium Declaration on Human Rights presented before the SECOND  PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN PARLIAMENT FOR PEACE held in Phnom Penh in November, 2000; was elected the Rapportuer of the drafting committee. Presentation Made in World Assembly on constitutional Law held in Japan in 1998 and in Armas University Rotterdam in 1999, Attended the Global Summit on Combating Corruption held in the Hague, Netherlands in 2001,   ; Made presentation on E-Commerce in SAARC LAW Conference held in Chundrigarh, India, Consultative role in advising Bangladesh Government on the peace treaty and on drafting the relevant law enabling devolution of power to the local self government for the Tribal Population in the Hill Tract; held consultancy and participated in Seminar and workshop on devolution of power in Sri Lanka; Held Seminar and workshop on the Constitution making process in Nepal; visited Bhutan at the invitation of the Hon’ble Chief Justice in SAARCLAW Conference and in workshop for a close study of the legal and Justice System and the working of the Parliament and government and made presentation on the role of the Central Bank and the regulatory regime to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka

c)

Also worked as Chairman of the expert group of consultants on TRO4 World Bank Project on "Judicial Capacity Building";

d)

Worked also for U.S. Department of Justice, standing Counsel for Government of Italy & Refugee and Immigration Board of Canada, German Embassy and of the Netherlands Embassy

e)

Worked as specialist consultant for IDLO in critiquing and lecturing on the draft Constitution of Swaziland, Africa.

1976-1979

f)

1976-77 Worked as consultant to Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in the Law & Population programme and conducted research on law and development.

g)

Worked as Law Officer for ECOSOC and UNCITRAL UNHQ, NEW YORK. (1977-79).

h)

Visiting Lecturer in Tufts University, Areas of Interest:   Law and Development;

1963-1976

i)

Founder of Law Firm, The Law Consultants, specialized in Constitutional Law, Public Interest Litigation, Human Rights Law, Corporation, International, and Commercial Law, Shipping and Banking, etc;

j)

Teaching on Rules of interpretation and legislative drafting to the Training Course on Legislative Drafting sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat;

k)

Advised and participated in negotiating the production sharing contract between oil companies and Bangladesh;

l)

Represented International Finance houses, preparation of claim for compensation for Bangladesh Nationalization, prepared memos; Drafted documents.

1961-1963:

m)

England, Court Experience, Practiced in the English Courts while in the Chambers of D.N. Pritt a famous Constitutional Lawyer & John Plats Mills, Q.C. Drafted Pleading, Opinions, appeared in Court and did legal research;

B.

EDUCATION

a)

1952-1956 B.A. Political Science, Economics and General History, Dhaka University, Dhaka;

b)

1956-1961 Legal Studies (Inns of Court, London) in Roman Law, Legal History, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Mohammadan Law, Company Law, Evidence, Law of Contracts and Torts, Equity, Public and Private International Law, Law of Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure;

c)

1961 Barrister-at-Law, Lincoln's Inn, Inns of Court, LONDON, U.K; (Called to the Bar of England & Wales on 02-11-1961)

d)

1976 Attended course in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on LAW & DEVELOPMENT;

e)

1984 Attended Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers on:
a)         Constitutional Law;
b)         Corporation Law;

C.

DETAILED TASKS ASSIGNED:

a)

AS MEMBER OF PAKISTAN's NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBER OF THE DRAFT COMMITTEE FOR DRAFTING A CONSTITUTION FOR PAKISTAN (1971);

b)

As member of Bangladesh National Assembly member, Drafting Committee of Bangladesh's Constitution;

d)

Member of the delegation to the Non-Aligned Summit Conference of the Heads of States in Algeria (1973);

e)

Head of the Bangladesh Delegation to the Plenary Assembly of the FAO held in Rome (1973);

f)

Leader of the Bangladesh Official observer delegation to the U.N. General Assembly (1972);

g)

Special Envoy of the Prime Minister(1972);

h)

Principal Adviser to the Prime Minister, 1971;

i)

Constitutional Adviser to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for negotiating a Constitutional Settlement for Pakistan, 1970;

D.

PUBLICATIONS

a)

Bangladesh Correspondent to Euromoney's Banking Law Manual.

b)

Country Correspondent for the Publication of International LAWS RELATING TO SHIP ARREST (1988) LLOYD'S OF LONDON PRESS LTD.;

c)

"The Constitution and Representative democracy in Bangladesh"- a contribution to the book under the title "People's Representatives" (Allen & UNWIN);

d)

A Review of Public Interest Litigation: Experiences in South Asia (The University Press Limited);

e)

Evolution of Parliamentary Democracy and Bangladesh Constitution;

f)

Contempt of Court vis-a-vis the freedom of Press (Daily Star commemorative issue 1997);

g)

Manipulating the Constitution (LAWASIA MONOGRAPH);

h)

Trend and Role of Agribusiness- Developing Country perspectives Conference Board Monograph on Population Trend, New York (1977);

i)

Law Regulating Migratory Movement of Dependants of Migrants: Impact of Migration on women and families (The U.N. Center for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs);

j)

Alternative to Triage – Bangladesh: A case Study - (Tufts University);

k)

Emergence of Bangladesh as a Non-Aligned Country in South Asia, "Foreign Affairs"- Yugoslavia (1972);

l)

Apartheid - Concept, Dhaka, 1966;

E.

MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES:

a)

Member, World Jurists Association;

b)

Member, International Commission of Jurists.

c)

Member, International Law Association.

d)

Member, World Association of Constitution Lawyers.

e)

Former President, SAARCLAW, a regional organization for Lawyers, Judges and Academics;

f)

Represented Bangladesh Federation of Chamber of Commerce as Member of ICC's Standing Committee on "Extortion and Bribery in International Business" Transaction (Paris);

g)

Vice Chairman, International Law Association (Bangladesh Chapter);

h)

President, South Asian Association for Right to Development (an affiliate of International Commission of Jurists);

i)

Chairman, Asia Pacific Organization on Mediation;

j)

Former Vice Chairman - Bangladesh Bar Council

k)

Chairman, Legal Education and Training Institute, (LETI) Bangladesh Bar Council

m)

Former Chairman, Legal Education Committee of Lawasia;

n)

Vice President as well as the Country Chairman of Union Internationale des Avocats;

o)

Founder (1972) and Honorary Secretary General, Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs.

p)

Member of Lexmundi.

q)

President, Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association (2005 - 2007)