Reshad is a Partner at Akhtar Imam & Associates, one of the most respected law firms in Bangladesh, ranked in renowned legal directories like Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. He is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Upon completing his LLM from the University of Cambridge, he worked under the renowned politician and counsel, Dr. Abhishek Singhvi in Delhi, India before returning to Bangladesh.

His experience in Bangladesh has been acquired over 13 years. He specialises in Company and Commercial Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law, Banking, Finance and Securities Law and Labour and Employment Law. He regularly challenges decisions of government authorities through High Court proceedings (judicial review), appears on behalf of national and multinational companies in proceedings before the Company Bench, appears as counsel in domestic and international commercial arbitrations and provides corporate advisory services to private and public sector clients across diverse industries. He has built up a reputation as a dynamic litigator who always walks the extra mile for his clients. He has advised clients like British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB), Japan Tobacco International (JTI), Radiant Pharmaceuticals Ltd., GBB Power Limited, Millennium Group, Aman Group, Brittania Group, Pubali Bank Ltd., Delta Life Insurance Ltd, Padma Bank Ltd., Premier Bank Ltd., Bangladesh Commerce Bank Ltd, VISA Inc., Facebook Inc., Marico Bangladesh, SSL Wireless, SSL Commerz and a host of other foreign and local companies over the years.

Reshad is one of the Founder Trustees and Director of Finance of the Academy of Law and Policy (ALAP), a registered trust set up with the lofty goals of, among others, dissemination of legal knowledge, research on and advocacy for much-needed law and policy reform and public interest litigation on pressing issues of national importance. He is also an independent director of Phoenix Finance & Investments Limited (PFIL), a leading financial institution in Bangladesh.

Representative Matters:

• Financial Laws: 

(a)Advised different entities of Visa around the world (Bombay, Middle East, Australia, Singapore, etc.) on various corporate, commercial and financial matters including the following:

• Cross border money transfer into Bangladesh; impact, if any of the anti-money laundering rating of the sending country and sanctions, political or otherwise, against UAE or Saudi Arabia;
• Electronic signatures and contract formalities in Bangladesh;
• Anti-corruption& bribery laws of Bangladesh.

(b)Represented in Court and advised SSL Wireless, the first and the largest Merchant Solution Provider (MSP) in the country having 3500+ top e-Commerce merchants under coverage through its secure online Payment Gateway platform SSLCOMMERZ, on various legal issues arising from the ongoing e-commerce scandal in Bangladesh.

• Anti-tobacco, Labour & Financial Laws:: Advised British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) on various matters over the years, including the following:
  • Legality of imposition of a health tax on the sale of tobacco product
  • Deed and Rules of Workers’ Gratuity Fund;
  • Implications of certain provisions of the Labour Act 2006 amended in 2013 relating to Workers Profit Participation Fund;
  • Implications of certain business activities of BATB in the light of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act 2013;
  • Legal implication of certain activities under Corporate Social Responsibility of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) in view of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2005 and the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act 2013;
  • Scope of trade promotional activities and the scope of authority of Magistrates and Government Officials;

• Labour & Employment: Advised, among others, Millennium Bangla Limited and Millennium Group of Companies, a leading player in the automobile industry of Bangladesh, on various labour and employment law issues during the Covid-19 pandemic including but not limited to the legal modes of severance of workers under the Labour Act, 2006.

• Competition Law: Represented Japan Tobacco International (JTI) before the Bangladesh Competition Commission and advised JTI on various legal issues arising from anti-competitive practices of rival tabacco producers in Bangladesh.
• Contempt of Court: Advised Facebook Inc. on various legal issues arising from contempt of court proceedings in Bangladesh. 

• Arbitration: Successfully advised and represented GBB Power Limited, a leading player in the power sector, in an arbitration under the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Act 2003 before the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission against a fully government owned gas company in relation to a dispute arising out of an agreement for supply of gas, the dispute being valued at Tk. 20 Crores.
• Shareholder Disputes: Advised, among others, Pubali Bank Limited in various shareholder disputes. Pubali Bank Limited is the largest private commercial bank in Bangladesh with the largest real time centralized online banking network.
• Commercial Arbitration: Successfully advised and represented Basic Dredging Company Limited (BDCL), a leading dredging company, in an arbitration arising out of a contractual dispute with Mongla Port Authority in relation to a mega housing project (the Jhilmill Housing Project) in Bangladesh; significant liquidated damages were awarded in favour of BDCL.
• Board Restructuring: Advised Padma Bank Limited in relation to restructuring the Board of Directors of the Bank and also in relation to the change of name of the Bank.
• Securities Laws: Advised, among others, Bangladesh Commerce Bank Securities Limited on various legal issues relating to the application of CDBL Bye-laws and Securities and Exchange Commission Ordinance 1969.
• Company and Securities Matters: Advising and/or representing many renowned individuals including Mr. Pankaj Roy (Chairman and Founder Director of Alliance Securities & Management Limited), Mr. Prafulla Kulkarni (Managing Director of S.G Oil Refineries Ltd), Nayeemul Islam Khan (Eminent Journalist and Editor of Amader Shomoy Online) before the High Court and/or the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in court proceedings (contempt petition, writ petition, company matters etc.) under, among others, section 233 and/or 43 of the Companies Act, 1994 and/or Article 102 (judicial review) of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
• Society Registration: Advising Pitch Foundation in registering a society under the Societies Registration Act for the welfare and benefit of ex-cricket players (of all forms of the game) under the jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the governing body of the game of cricket in Bangladesh. The Pitch Foundation is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. The Governing Body of the foundation shall consist of former national team cricketers of international repute and current directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
• Shareholder-Management Disputes: Advising and representing Zia Uddin, the Chairman of Active Fine Chemicals Limited, Director of AFC Capital Limited, Director of AFC Agro Biotech Limited and Director of Pristine Life Sciences Limited on management disputes arising out of different entities of the AFC group of companies and advised Pristine Life Sciences on acquisition of its shares by a Singaporean Company. Advising and representing Mrs. Nahar Jamil and Mr. Rubaiyat Jamil, Chairman and Director of Bandbox Ltd on various management disputes.
• Rectification of Share Register: Represented Aman Group, a leading business group in Bangladesh spanning diverse sectors (cold storage, agro, construction, textile and trading) in a High Court case under the Companies Act 1994 for rectification of the share register of company X to enter Aman Group as the owner of 100% of the shares). The main asset of company X is a land valued between sixty crores to hundred crores taka (Tk. 60,00,00,000 to Tk. 100,00,00,000).
• Constitutional Litigation: Regularly represent business clients against the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, RAJUK (Capital Development Authority), Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a host of other public bodies.
• Banking: Moved several writ petitions against the central bank of Bangladesh for leading business clients for illegal inclusion of their names in the Credit Information Bureau’s list of loan defaulters and money loan court (artha rin adalot) matters.
• Company Matters: Advised and represented in Court various renowned individuals and companies in company matters dealing with minority shareholder disputes, rectification of share register, winding up of companies, reduction of share capital and various other issues relating to company laws in Bangladesh.

Selected Publications:

• https://www.thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/news/urgent-need-covid-19-act-2020-bangladesh-1897531
• https://www.thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/news/arbitrations-bangladesh-during-covid-19-pandemic-1902163
• https://www.thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/protecting-minority-shareholders-1563298
• https://www.biac.org.bd/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BIAC-Bulletin-January-March-2022-.pdf

Selected Webinars and Trainings:

• Moderated a webinar organised by the Academy of Law and Policy and the Dhaka Tribune on Domestic Violence against women during COVID-19
• Moderated a webinar organised by the Academy of Law and Policy on Rights of workers and employers during COVID-19
• Keynote Speaker in a Webinar organised by The Daily Star and the Academy of Law and Policy on Company Law Reform
• Keynote Speaker in a Seminar organised by the Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre on the “Dire Need for Reform” of the Arbitration Act, 2001 of Bangladesh.

• Conducted online training sessions on Company Law, Digital Security, Data Protection and Privacy laws, Advertising and Marketing laws for employees of multinational and local companies.