Mr. Elahi is the founder and head of the team of M. Elahi & Associates. He completed LL. B (Hon’s) from the University of London, followed by LL. M in Financial Regulation and Compliance from BPP University, UK. He successfully completed Bar Professional Training Course from the BPP University, UK, and was later called to the Bar in 2013 from the Hon’ble Society of Lincoln’s Inn in London. Mr. Elahi also puts his print in the teaching career in pursuance he taught law at ASA University, and Bhuiyan Academy, Dhaka. Presently he is the adjucent faculty member of the Insurance Academy under the Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh. In discharging the social responsibilities as a lawyer, nowadays he is working on some social causes like child labour and child prostitution. He is the legal adviser of a nonprofit charitable organization named ‘Brotee” a Bangladeshi non-political, non-profit, rights-based organization.

Mr. Elahi has established himself as a popular attendee of a radio program named ‘Ain o Adalat’ in Radio Dhoni where he advises people about any legal problem and satisfies all kinds of legal queries by responding to live questions. In recent times Mr. Elahi as an independent contributor of a project named “Doing Business 2017: Measuring Regulatory Quality and Efficiency” conducted by World Bank Group researched topics pertaining to the rights of worker in Bangladesh under the Labour Act 2006.

Mr. Elahi’s leadership at the helm of the firm brings a wealth of expertise in crafting a comprehensive range of legal pleadings for proceedings in all kinds of tribunals, whether local or foreign, as well as in the District Court and the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. The firm also excels in diverse aspects of legal documentation, encompassing corporate paperwork, property purchase and sale agreements, company registration, as well as copyright, patent, and trademark registration. Moreover, the firm consistently provides ongoing legal and paralegal services that span various areas to both local and international private and public limited companies. A diverse clientele, including local and foreign banks, financial institutions, development agencies, and non-government organizations, regularly benefit from the firm’s legal support and services.

Notable Experience:

• Advised and assisted a USA-based LLC company engaged in worldwide movie production and distribution to Draft a “Life Rights Agreement” regarding absolute, exclusive, and irrevocable rights, in perpetuity, of a Bangladeshi person’s life story to develop a script/story, and to produce and distribute motion picture(s), documentary(ies), television show(s) and related productions in any and all media and on any and all platforms, based on actual events, or fictionalized content
• Advised numerous individuals and local companies in Bangladesh regarding tax assessment, submitting tax returns, assessing corporate taxation, double taxation, etc.
• Assisted several UK-based law firms in drafting Asylum Applications, analyzed local cases against the client and accordingly drafted recommendation letters, drafted judicial review case dockets and grounds for such applications, and drafted other applications related to immigration laws of the UK.
• Advised and assisted a few Chinese companies regarding their business in Bangladesh and specifically advised on how in particular situation The Labour Law, 2006 applied to them.
• Advised a Brazilian exporter regarding recovering its lawful amount to under the Letter of Credit issued by a Bangladeshi Bank and consequently conducted litigation and successfully recovered the amount.
• Advised and assisted a few Japanese companies regarding the processes of formation and registration of a JV company with a Human Recruiting Agency in Bangladesh under the prevailing laws in Bangladesh.
• Advised and assisted a UK-based investment trust PLC company to provide a range of fiduciary services as an agent of a Bangladeshi Bank.
• Advised and assisted a foreign Bank to issue a non-committed trade finance guarantee facility to a Local Bank in Bangladesh
• Advised and assisted a schedule Bank of Bangladesh in forming and registering a Marchant Bank and a Brokerage House as subsidiary companies in the name of that scheduled bank and considering the prevailing laws drafted Memorandum of Association and Article of Association of these Marchant Bank and Brokerage House companies.
• Advised and provided legal opinions on issues of regulatory and compliance to multi-national companies and renowned international organizations
• Provided legal advice and assistance to a multinational financial services corporation in setting up its liaison office in Bangladesh
• Advised a leading audit firm as regards a partnership agreement between the partners
• Advised a multinational company in the area of Corporate Structuring and restructuring, including Merger and Acquisition (M&A), in particular, advised on the acquisition of shares held in the said company by a Chinese company.
• Advised a few celebrity singers, film producers, directors, and authors about their rights to creative work under the copyright laws in Bangladesh against copyright infringers. Consequently, filed both civil suits for compensation and criminal cases for unlawful infringement.
• Advised a non-banking top-tier financial company regarding copyright and trademark laws. Successfully secured their right against another multinational telecom group in regard to a trademark dispute.
• Successfully conducted ADR between a renowned English medium school owner and a previous owner regarding the ownership dispute of the school.
• Conducted litigation on issues arising out of foreign investment, foreign remittance, import-export license
• Jointly worked with several globally recognized international law firms regarding foreign investment, contractual disputes, and drafting numerous Agreements.
• Advised a group of distinguished class of individuals to form and register a Co-Operative Society in Bangladesh
• Advised, and assisted in the incorporation and raising of capital for various start-up companies
• Advised and conducted litigation on insurance laws, company law, and competition law to different insurance companies
• Advised on laws of banking and financial institutions to Brac Bank Ltd, NRB Bank Ltd., Dutch Bangla Bank Ltd., Mutual Trust Bank Ltd, Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd, Sonali Bank Ltd and EXIM Bank Ltd
• Advised and provided company secretarial services to some of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh including company law, energy law, labor law, insolvency, mergers and acquisition, dispute resolution and constitutional law;
• Provided legal advice to a foreign company in relation to a dispute over a site survey including a subsea examination of a planned Liquid Petroleum Gas loading and unloading terminal
• Provided legal advice to a client on constitutional rights; drafted a writ petition challenging the failure of the government authorities to discharge their obligations under the relevant laws in Bangladesh.
• Advised multiple clients on termination benefits of employees under the Labour Act, 2006
• Provided legal advice to a group of companies on the transfer of shares; drafted an agreement for the transfer of shares
• Advised individuals regarding the protection of minority shareholders in the company and also advised an oil refinery company on the reduction of share capital; drafted court applications for reduction of share capital
• Advised several multinational companies regarding regulatory and compliance requirements in Bangladesh under the existing law.
• Advised and assisted a foreign client regarding a debt financing transaction of USD 50 million with regard to a 110 MW HFO-based Power Project. I have experience in structuring power projects and preparing various opinions on power-related issues. I also assisted a reputed power company domiciled in Bangladesh in forming a Joint Venture with an Indian company and assisted the joint venture with the preparation of a BID proposal for establishing 2 HFO-based 150 MW power plants in Bangladesh. I have also experience in assessing the feasibility of establishing a 100 MW solar-based power plant.
• Advised and assisted a leading telecommunications company in setting up a subsidiary PSP company in Bangladesh; drafted memorandum and articles of association
• Advised and assisted an e-commerce company on incorporation and registration; drafted memorandum and articles of association
• Provided legal advice to a client in respect of an agreement for the purchase of fertilizers worth multi-million USD
• Advised and assisted a foreign shipping company relating to claims of losses and damages against the same by a local authority
• Advised on the debt financing in particular structuring and preparation of legal documentation of issuance of BDT 3,000,000,000.00 Non-Convertible, Unsecured, and Zero-Coupon Bond for a term of 3 years of a prominent non-banking financial institution in Bangladesh.
• Advised multiple foreign workers in Bangladesh regarding any alleged civil or criminal allegations or cases filed against them.
• Advised the Country Head of a multinational foreign money exchange company to recover its legitimate dues under the Labout Act, 2006, and employment contract against the company based in UAE.