Ashter Ali LLP.

Section 1: Basic Information

Ashter Ali and LLP started its business in the 1980s. It has offices in Lahore and Islamabad. There is some representation in Faisalabad and Multan as well. The primary focus of the firm is on litigation. This includes Constitutional, Corporate and Commercial litigation. There is not much civil work and the firm undertakes occasional arbitration work. Initially, the civil work at the firm was delegated to an external counsel but now the firm is trying to do it on its own. There is no hardcore criminal work at the firm, however, occasionally legal services related to white-collar crimes are provided. The firm takes both lower courts and higher courts cases.

Section 2: Structure of the Firm

Ashter Ali LLP is a small firm with a team of 7 lawyers. There are two partners, one is a founding partner and the other is a partner. One lawyer handles the operations of the Islamabad office while the rest of the lawyers work from the Lahore office. The hierarchy among the associates is of ‘Senior Associates’ and ‘Associates’. There is no HR at the firm. The accounts are handled by 2 accountants and the associates also help with invoicing.

Section 3: Hiring Mechanism


Internship: The firm offers summer internships but there is no structured internship program. The internships are open all year round. In summer, the firm prefers the interns to join in June since the courts close in July and August. There is no stipend for the interns. The primary responsibilities of an intern include research and preparation of facts sheets. However, if an intern performs exceptionally well they can get drafting tasks as well.

Associate: The hiring for associates is on a need basis only. The candidates are invited to apply through references, and by approaching Alumni and Law schools (preference is given to LUMS graduates). The candidates can also directly email the partners for an associate position. A fresh graduate is offered a monthly salary of 30,000 PKR for an 'Associate' position. According to the firm’s policy, an associate's salary is subject to an increment every six months, however, the associate must remind and discuss the increments with the partners. The firm does not initiate the evaluation process itself. The salary increments range between 10-15,000 PKR per month. There is no defined policy for performance-based bonuses. Associates rarely receive bonuses. There is no defined policy for finder’s fee either.

Section 4: Alumni

Currently, there are two alumni working at the firm.

Back to Main SAHSOL Home